Stuck
by Hinata-hime
Summary: AU: So it wasn’t until one day, where I found out that one can’t run from the past forever. And this is where my trip to hell began... RinSesscomplete
1. His Familiar Face

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Author's Notes: Hey! It's me again and a brand new fic! Ain't this exciting? Not really but whatever. So unlike my other fic, this one isn't fully planned out. So let's just see where it goes, nee? This fic revolves mainly around Rin and Sesshy, so don't expect too much to happen between the two…yet…And would all you readers be so kind and review…I really want to know how I'm doing on this fic. Hmm…did I miss anything else I wanted to say…o well. Enjoy chapter 1!

"speaking"

'thoughts'

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Disclaimer: You know how I am. Always getting depressed when it comes to disclaimers. And it's the same every time…I don't own nothing. So no law suits…got that?

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Stuck

By :Stacie Orrico 

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I cant get out of bed today 

Or get you off my mind

I just cant seem to find a way to leave the love behind

I ain't trippin I'm just missin you 

You know what I'm saying

You know what I mean 

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Chapter 1

His Familiar Face

Can you imagine? It was all his fault. That statement may sound babyish, but every word is true. And because of him, my life was forever ruined. For the past 9 years, I've lived in his shadow. And each time I manage to push it to the back of my mind, eventually it keeps coming back. So, yes, as a mater of fact, I indeed was stuck; stuck on him. 

It sounds weird to be coming from me, but I was the shy of the shyest. Me, shy? If I told anyone that, they'd laugh. Lill' ol' sunshine me. Yup, I could probably be mistaken for a ditz blond, if my hair was ever that color. Always the smiling one, who had loads of friends. But even so, I was hardly noticed. Well at least unnoticed by Mr. Personality. Because I did have a social life. I was asked out countless times by different men, each I refused. I hoped that one day that son of a bitch who wanted nothing to do with women would ask me out. And look where it got me…in a pit, while everyone else of my friends were playing social butterfly. 

But that was me. Black hair, always pulled in a single tail at the side of my head. And everyone said I had a certain sparkle in my chocolate eyes. But until I had a certain someone completely wrapped around my finger, that sparkle wouldn't shine it's fullest. Now I'm not one you'd call proportional for my age. The only thing that was exceedingly large was my mouth. Let's just say I'm not particularly proud of that. 

But there was more to me than a ditzy brunette. You could call me that, but I took great pride of my marks in school. But no matter how hard I tried, I was always fourth. Mr. Drop-dead-gorgeous was always number one. And Sango and Kag, my two best friends in the whole world, were always two and three. But again, my thoughts keep drifting back to him. Sometimes I wondered if he even had a life. All he did at school was, listen, work, study, study, work, study, listen, work and then leave the building. 

And if you're thinking that the only reason I never actually talked to him was the lack of opportunities, think again. As best friend of Kagome, I was constantly over at her boyfriend's house. The, in my opinion, not-as-drop-dead-gorgeous-as-Mr.-No-emotion, a.k.a. Inuyasha. And always when I was over, his unemotional brother was either sitting in a tree or somewhere by his lonesome. All I wanted to do was run up and hug him. But my shyness got the better of me yet again. Or maybe it wasn't shyness, but more of not wanting to get rejected.

Despite a social life of zero, Mr. Emotional was the most popular guy in school. Or if you were to ask any girl anyway. I've lost count of how many girls throw themselves at him. Yes, it did make me somewhat jealous. But about ten seconds of flirting, he had rejected her, just like the girl that tried five minutes before that. So in the end, that's probably why I never flirted with him. Always afraid of getting rejected. But Sango always said if I never tried, I'd regret it later. And eventually I did.

It was our senior year, and still I said nothing. But every one of my close friends could say I was head-over-heels for this guy. Which was the truth. They kept dropping hints to tell me that I should go for it. And yet again, I would always chicken out. They even offered to ask him for me. But what kind of person am I that I can't get a date on my own, which was entirely not true. Getting back on track, I even got to sit next to him in math class. A lot of good that did, the only time I ever said anything to him was when I needed explaining what the hell all the numbers and exponents and little symbols meant. My questions didn't seem to annoy him, so I would never ask the teacher for explanations, I'd just turn to Mr. Mask-for-a-face. And every time his words left his mouth, I could have died. So deep and soft, what I would have gave to make him mine.

So the year went by, and I was still afraid to ask him. Kagome began to call me a dumbass for not trying. But I could live with that, as long as he didn't see me as an annoying prissy bitch. Eventually, everyone lost hope with Mr. Sociable and me. And Sango was right; I was beginning to regret it. So Grad day came, and still I did nothing. And then came the final dance, where we'd all see each other for one final time before University came our way. And I still wasn't ready to make my move. So eventually, Mr. I-live-without-women left…and I could feel my heart breaking into five pieces. I found that five pieces were a lot easier to mend than a hundred. 

So as you can see now, I never did ask him…anything of importance. But it was a bit too late to turn back now. I had a spot to study at Yale, one of the most prestigious universities in the world. And for a girl from the small suburbs of Tokyo, it was quite an accomplishment. 

So that's where I spent nine years of my life…learning the tricks and trades of computer engineering. And when I walked out of that building, holding my M.D., I was a new person. I barely recognized myself. For I learned that Yale was no place for fun and games. So over the course of those years, I had lost that fun glint in my eye. I no longer wore my hair in tails… that was way too childish. I was going to be a sophisticated young woman. So instead, it was tied back with a clip, letting the ends hang loosely down. And when I stepped back out of the campus for good, I had a diploma in one hand, boy on the other. Events from high school completely erased from my memory. 

But I wasn't in a serious relationship with my man…that ironically lived in my hometown too. But I'm sure that Bankotsu was seeing other women behind my back. And I was prepared for when the breakup came. It didn't matter though. I had already gotten a job as a computer consultant for a rather small company. Not an ideal job, if you ask me, but it pays well. After the death of my parents, I had to live on my own. So the rent is starting to get to me. I'd used most of my life savings on school…and now I had to work my ass off for the next 40 years of my scummy life. 

So I wasn't until one day, where I found out that one can't run from the past forever. It was a blast of a day. I always wanted to tell people how they should handle their own damn computer problems. You don't realize how close I am to telling some of these people, "Oh, you can't figure out this program? Try reading the manual! That's what it's there for, after all!" But after my studies in university, I know better. 

And this is where my trip to hell began…

~ Normal P.O.V. ~

"Miss. You have an appointment with Mrs. Thai. She's here now," the secretary spoke through a private intercom. 

"Fine send her in," Rin turned her chair away from the door and faced the window. Serious reflections needed to be done. How is it that she got this pleasurable job anyway? Oh that's right. Her parents had to leave her with a bit of a financial predicament. So a job was needed after studies. Did money get you everywhere in life? Well, nowadays, it did. 

The door creaked open and a tall, slim figure stepped in. "You must be Mrs. Thai," Rin said, not turning around yet. She needed to calm down before attempting to another clueless secretary. 

"Yes, that's correct. My boss sent me here to see if you had any good advice for a new company that he's buying. I have papers if you'd like." Still facing away, Rin held out her hand. It was a whole bunch of nonsense about company backgrounds or things like that. My God, what ever happened to using common sense. Her mental sigh came out loud unintentionally. The client laughed, "I see you don't like your job very much. No offense, but I wouldn't like it either. To tell you the truth, I'm only here on orders. If it were my decision, I would have solved it myself."

Finally! Someone in this world who was smart. "You're probably the only person that's come to me, and has made any sense." She turned her chair around…and suddenly, fleeting memories came back. Woman with brown hair in high ponytail…reddish eye shadow, it was none other than… "Sango?"

Now she was confused. "Um…do I know you?" She looked awkwardly at the consultant who claimed to know her. 

"Don't tell me you don't remember? It's me…Rin."

The name seemed familiar. "Rin…hmm. No, wait! Don't tell me. I know this. Um…um…um…no! I know this…" Rin felt like saying, "I was your best friend in high school, dumbass." But refrained from doing so. "I know this…Rin…um…ah! I remember! You, you were the person I met at that business meeting last Friday! I am so smart." 

Rin could have fallen anime style, if she was standing up. "*sigh* I don't know how many Rins you've known in your life. But no, I wasn't at that meeting you speak of." She kept a professional tone. "If you recall, I was best friends to you and Kagome in high school, remember?"

Her eyes lit up. "No way! Get out of here! You're **that** Rin?" She said getting up and looking at her straight in the face. "What happened to the old you? Why do you look like this? Who changed you? Speak woman."

All Rin could do was roll her eyes. She might have changed, but Sango sure didn't. "The old Rin wouldn't make it in the business world. So would you stop that…man is it ever annoying."

Sango slowly marched back to her chair. Fixing her skirt, she closed her eyes, and said nothing for a few minutes. Then all of a sudden, she burst out in a grin. "So, tell me everything. How long has it been? Seven, eight months now?"

"Actually, nine years."

"Wow…that long already? Time flies." A sigh was emitted from Rin. Sango was still as…well…Sangoish as ever. "So did you ever –" she was cut off my the ringing intercom.

Rin turned on the switch. "What?!" she yelled angrily into the tiny device. 

"Um…someone else is here for their 2 o'clock appointment." The secretary sounded frightened at her boss's tone.

"Send her up in five." She turned the switch off. "Sorry about this. Can we discuss the matter elsewhere?" 

Sango nodded, "How's the Three Cup Café? You know…the one off of Main Street? At about…five, let's say."

"Sure." She gave a real grin, the first in many years. Sango stepped out of her office, plotting something in her head, 'I wonder…maybe…just maybe…'

The next client walked in. "Miss. Rin. Thanks for taking me so fast." The short redhead spoke with extra perkiness. 

"No problem." Rin put on the biggest fake smile this world has ever seen. 'Oh God. It's going to be a long day…'

~ Later ~

"…so that's where I was all those years." Rin had finished her never-ending university story." Bringing the coffee to her lips, she was happy that she could finally tell someone her problems. Maybe that's what she was missing all those years, a friend.

"I almost forgot! I invited my boss to have dinner with us. I hope that's okay. He has…err…some business he wants to converse with you." Sango took a bite of her roll. "He should be here any minute."

"That's no problem. It's my job after all." She took another sip of coffee.

"So here you are, Sango. I was beginning to think that you never actually came." Rin choked on her drink. She knew that voice. It was long ago…but the image was as clear as ever.

One can't run from the past forever. And suddenly, it felt as if school had just ended. It was him. The one who made her stomach flop and her heart light. Why was it him? Slowly turning her head, she saw the one that she'd hoped never to see again. Amber eyes, silver hair, were only some of his features that made him stand out. It's a face that no one could forget. Anyone, anyone but, "Sesshomaru?"

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Alritie. There's chapter 1 for you. I'm not so sure if I should continue this fic or not. Please let me know. Thanks.

*_~


	2. A New Job

Author's Notes: Well…thanks to all you kind reviewers. So I guess that means continue…right? Well, there's not much else I want to say…other than 100000001 sorryz for the shortness of this chapter.

"speaking"

'thoughts'

(notes)

Disclaimer: Hmm…own…own…no…doesn't ring a bell…whatever. I only own my own characters (who don't actually appear till chapter 4 but same diff). 

You kept me hanging on a string  
Why you make me cry  
I tried to give u everything  
But you just give lies  
I ain't trippin  
I'm just missin you  
You know what I'm saying  
You know what I mean

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Chapter 2 

A New Job

He blankly stared at her. Now he saw a woman he'd never met in his life, and she has the nerve to call him by his first name. A mistake most people made the first time they meet him. "That's Mr. Keiyoukai to you." He said, with slight annoyance in his tone. "How is it that you know my name? I know that Sango didn't tell you."

Rin, however, was unable to answer. She was still recovering from the initial shock. All she could do was open and close her mouth several times. Now that wasn't too professional was it? Seeing the spot she was in, Sango took the liberty of speaking for her. "Please forgive my friend. She's just a little…surprised. Because…we all went to high school together. Sesshomaru, meet Rin. Rin, meet Sesshomaru." A little surprised was the biggest understatement of the year. 

"Rin…" the name took time to register, as he took the seat opposite her. Then it clicked. "That's right. You were the one who always loved annoying me with easy math questions in class." He took the coffeepot and poured himself a cup.

Annoying? No one ever calls Rin annoying! 'Come on…act professional. Don't lose your cool, you can't. You are in front of a highly dignified person. Don't lose your cool. What a jerk!' "Well excuse me Mr. So-you-should-have-said-something-if-I-was-bothering-you!" Great…now he's going to think you're a total loser now. Smooth move…just slick.

When Sesshomaru didn't answer, it meant no further discussion. So you needed to get of the topic now. "Come on. That was a long time ago. No need to get overworked about something that was finished a while ago." Sango managed to calm her ill-tempered friend to a point where it was safe. But one can't help but think. Even in a bad way, Sesshomaru had remembered the name of a woman. The only feminine names he remembered were co-workers or his family. 

Taking a long breath, Rin rested her hands on the table. 'From now on, no doing stupid things, got that Rin?' she mentally sighed. "Was there business you wanted to discuss or was this solely a reunion matter?" she said returning to her dignified manner. 

He asked a different question, as if hers was never asked, "So you're a computer consultant, are you not?" Did this guy ever think there was more than just him in this universe? Or was he even alone in his head?

"Ya. What of it?" she asked eyeing him suspiciously. All he did was place his hands on top of hers. It made her heart fly to her throat. All the feeling buried away came back in an instant. If any of those girls could see them now, major jealousy would have arisen. 

He pulled a ring off her middle finger. It had the university letter on it. "You went to Yale?" She nodded. "You must be a smart cookie then." Smart cookie? She could have laughed right in his face. But that wasn't the right way to win over someone. He tossed it back to her and she caught it with both hands. "Too bad your intelligence is wasted on the crappy job you have now." 

Her patience with this man had run out. Was this a joke, or did he take a liking to antagonizing her? So maybe he was like his brother…in a Sesshomaru type of way. Little reminder to self, note that you must later kill this guy! Sure she liked him, but even so, at one point you need to snap. "Well forgive me if there isn't a better job around in this dump. Apparently money gets one everywhere in life. Which, I happen to be short of at the moment! So if you'll excuse me, I have some work to attend to." She huffed picking up her briefcase and slinging it over her shoulder. 'When I started liking that guy, I'd never thought he'd be so…so…arg! I have to have feelings for him, don't I?'

All Sango could do was roll her eyes. "You can't be a little nicer to people, can you?" He said nothing and went back to drinking his coffee. "Don't ignore me! Listen to what I have to say!" He motioned with his hand for her to continue. "And will you use words for once?"

"Will you go on? I grow tiered of listening to you rant."

As secretary to the biggest woman hater in the world, your patience got thicker. "If you comment on her job and how 'crappy' it is, then why don't you offer her a new one?"

"And for what reason would I?"

"Will you stop interrupting me? Okay, the only reason she does what she does now is for money. She spent her savings on school, and doesn't have much now. See, after her parents died, they left her with the house. But it did have quite a few rents…"

He wasn't quite listening at this point. It was the "parents dying" part that had made him flinch a bit. For he to had had experiences with death of parents. Such an unfortunate soul indeed. "…and furthermore… Hey! Are you even listening?" he gave a small nod, not bothering to argue back. "Then go and get her. You need an assistant anyway. And she's smart, you won't regret it."

He looked at his employee very carefully. "The world will end when I chase after a woman."

"Fine! I'm going after her then. And you have no right to complain, big shot!" She put the check on the table and left the café and back to her house. Sesshomaru left as well. He got into his black Mercedes convertible and drove off, back to his house. Well it wasn't really his house, more like his fathers. But the point was…well there wasn't exactly a point. But why try to understand what goes through a woman's head?

-----With Sango----- 

'Come on. I know it's here somewhere.' She was searching furiously through the box of high school momentous. She'd already torn the den apart. It left quite a shock for her husband when he got home from picking up their daughter from the daycare. 

"Um…Sango…what are you looking for?" he called from downstairs. The daughter, Sen, was already putting the things away. Even for a seven-year-old, she was always neat. Always following her mother's orders to clean up her messes had made her think that every mess was hers.

"Damn…where is it? Miroku, have you seen my high school phonebook?" she was searching under the bed at this point. 

"You put it next to the **phone**, remember?" he said dryly. 

"That's right! I'm such an idiot!" she said running down to retrieve it. Amongst all the numbers, Rin's was there. As part of her job, she took the responsibility of apologizing to her. She only hoped it was still the same number. Thankfully, it was. After a few rings, she picked up. 

"Hello?"

"Rin? It's Sango."

"Oh, hey."

"I just wanted to say sorry for what happened today. It's not really like him to do that."

"That's fine. I understand."

"But I want to make it up to you. How's about a better job? Sesshomaru's looking for a new assistant. And I'm sure you'd be good for the job."

She'd love to be working alongside Sesshomaru but…here come high school events all over again. Once afraid, always afraid. Hey wait! Where'd that come from? It was so not true. She tried to refrain from squealing, "Happy days! I'm going to work along side my crush!" but all she really said was, "does it pay well?"

"Hon, if you do a good job, he'll pay you anything." It sounds corny, but it convinced Rin. "Now you go give him a call tomorrow at the office and say I gave you the job. Here let me give you the number…"

Rin replaced the receiver and drew in a deep breath. "YES!" She jumped up and pumped her arm in the air. Wait, that wasn't ladylike. You work alongside Sesshomaru, you must be professional, dignified and have a patience as thick as a tree. Well, the last aspect we might have to work on. But who cares in the big pictures anyway?

------Morning----- 

Preparing for the worst phone conversation ever, at about 11 o'clock, she was ready to talk to him. Sango picked up the phone, telling her to wait a few minutes. She had to first get Sesshomaru away from his death trap. Puzzled, Sango explained it was also known as a computer. 

"Hello?"

"Um…this is Rin…" Don't say 'um'. That's not professional. "I'm calling to talk about a job that your secretary, Sango, spoke to me about."

"That's right, you're the Smart Cookie. Well I don't know how much Sango has told you. But I hope you like the computer domain, because you're going to be spending a whole lot of time in front of it."

"As long as I don't have to tell people that you need to read a manual to get a program working."

"Rest assured, that's not required. So, Smart Cookie, I expect to see you here at nine sharp tomorrow."

"I will. You can count on me, Sesshomaru. I…can call you that right?"

Some silence on the other end meant he was considering. "If that is what pleases you. Now excuse me, Smart Cookie, I have business to attend to. Good day." And with that, he hung up. He rubbed his temples; soon his offices were going to be filled with women. Well, better that then gay men. (Nothing against them btw). But still, he was going to have that annoying math girl working next to him for who knows how long. Not that it mattered. As long as the job was done, it was all good in the end.

Rin lay on her bed. Apparently Smart Cookie was going to be her name from now on. How annoying, and yet. It made her feel somewhat special that the man that she was gaga for actually called her by a name he made up. Annoying, yes, but cute…possibly.

So what to do for half the day? Choose an outfit for one. No big choices there, just a white blouse and knee-length black skirt. She spent the next few hours cleaning out her desk at the other job. It was short notice, but she didn't really care. Nor should she have, if you hate it so much. 

The day pretty much was dull after that. Dinner, then bed. But all she could think of what type of day was going to await her tomorrow. And what a day it would be…

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Mwahahahaha! And what a day it will be! Ok…thatz exaggerating a bit but whatever. Point being plz review!

-.-

aww.......i cant do my little face anymore......cries! :'(


	3. Hello, Smart Cookie

AN: Well…I'm glad y'all like that last chapter (good Lord. 'y'all'? I've been spending way too much time in South Carolina). Any-a-ways, I'll try not to disappoint all you reviewers and readers with the outcome of this fic. Because seriously, I've been doing major work on the yearbook, typing up grad comments. It has totally drained the creativeness out of me. (BTW I'm only 14 so I'm not graduating from high school just yet…) That wasn't really necessary but whatever.

Disclaimer: No own = no sue = no money for lawyers! Take your fancy business elsewhere!

Every now and then

When I'm all alone I've been wishing you would call me on the telephone Say you want me back But you never do I feel like such a fool There's nothing I can do I'm such a fool for you 

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Chapter 3

Hello, Smart Cookie

It was 8:30 as Rin stood in front of the building. A regular downtown office that you'd find in you everyday regular city. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside the rotating doors. It was a long foyer that reminded someone of a hotel. It was full of open cubicles that several people were working in. not knowing exactly where she was going; she stopped at the receptionist. "Good morning, young lady," she smiled cheerfully, "how may I help you?"

Now Rin, no 'ums' from you today. "Starting today, I have a job here. And frankly, I have no clue where I'm supposed to go." Everyone on the floor stopped their work and stared at the new girl. Some ladies began to giggle quietly amongst themselves. Personally, Rin didn't see what was so funny.

"I see. Mr. Keiyoukai told me you were coming. He would like you to go up to floor 27. Someone will meet you there."

"Thanks." She picked up her case and walked down the hall towards the elevator. She tried her best to ignore some whistles coming from the men. Other ladies kept giggling. One said, "So you're the new one to try and win the boss?" Ignoring that, she walked on. A girl in about her mid twenties made a comment as well, "So you're an intern? Gonna try and seduce the boss now? Good luck with that."

Anger getting the better of her yet again, she marched straight up to the last girl. Slamming her fist down on her desk, she looked into the blonde's eyes. "Listen. I'll have you know I'm no intern. And I have no intention of seducing your precious boss, even though I know you've tried at one point. So it's in your best interest to stay out of my way. Got that blondie?" she didn't wait for an answer and marched into the elevator. Not a great way to start a morning.

It seemed to take forever for the elevator to go from the lobby to the 27th floor. The last floor seemed smaller than the bottom. Sango was sitting at a rather large desk in the center of the room. Mr. The-Great-One didn't seem to be around. "Rin! I'm so glad you're here. You get to work next to me! Isn't that great?"

Rin sweat dropped. Someone was a bit too enthusiastic about her job. "Sure…great…" she said sitting down at the somewhat empty desk next to Sango's. It already had a computer and the recap of her daily routines that Mr. Big-Boss had already explained. It took no more than fifteen minutes with Sango's help to get everything comfortable. "So…anything special that we're doing?"

Sango shrugged, "Not really. Some people are trying to do this payroll thing but it's not working so far. Others are designing HR related software. Me? I do what ever the Great One tells me to do. And so will you. But right now, you have to wait until he decides to show up." Okay, so much for ideal job. Well there were always things to do on the computer. Rin turned on the switch and waited for it to boot up. Then the password screen came up.

"Hey Sango. What's the password for this thing?"

All she did was laugh. "Poor you. You have the computer from hell. No one could figure that out. Someone hacked it and totally changed the password. Good luck with that."

Hacked? Hadn't anyone ever heard of a firewall? But Rin didn't have a degree in computer science and engineering for nothing. Simple problems like this were child's play. So there she sat, typing away at the computer. She was so busy that she didn't even notice him walking past her. "Someone's eager." He commented to Sango and walked into his office. She was entranced by that contraption.

"Hello? Anyone there?" Sango waved her hand in front of Rin's face.

"I'm sorry, you say something?" she looked away from the screen. Sango rolled her eyes.

"He wants to see you." Rin nodded and slowly walked up to his office. Her legs felt like jelly, but…this was something that had to be done. If she was ever going to stay here, the first thing to do was create a mask. She lightly knocked on his door and let herself in.

"So I see you came, Smart Cookie." She managed a small smile. God, that was annoying. Sesshomaru smirked at the reaction on her face. "The name I gave you is bothersome, is it not? You can tell me," he said leaning forward on his desk. Again, she forced herself to shake her head. "Good. Because that will be your name as long as you work for me." Keep hands away from neck…don't do anything stupid. "Well enough of that, Smart Cookie. Your first task is to get that computer of yours working. One thing the past two people have failed to do. But I think you'll pull this one off. Have fun Smart Cookie."

Rin walked calmly out and shut the door quietly. Walking back to her desk, she drilled her fist into the wood. Pain shot up through her arm. Note to self, must find a better surface to let out stress. The noise had made Sango jump. "Good Lord, woman. What was that for?"

"Ask the man who enjoys torturing me." She sat down and rubbed her aching hand.

"But he asked you if you minded the name." Rin looked at her friend with a well-what-was-I-supposed-to-say look. "If you said it bothered you, he'd call you by her actual name." She gave another thanks-for-telling-me-now look. "But it's too late now. So you'd better live with it."

Rin sighed and went back to her computer. In an hour, the computer was back up and running. Sango just stared over her shoulder, gaping. "How'd ya do that? And so fast too?" she asked stunned.

"Hey, I didn't waist nine years of my life studying and not know how to fix a simple system like this." She patted the machine proudly as if it was a dog or something.

"Well go see the Great One…he'll always have something for you," Sango sighed.

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It wasn't more than a week since her first step into the building. Already all of the people in the lobby knew her name, including the blonde…who wasn't as, well, blonde as she was before. But no one ever called her by her real name…they'd all call her what the boss did. So every morning, she'd hear her familiar name. "Hello, Smart Cookie." That or, "Good morning, Smart Cookie." After awhile, it could really get annoying. It's bad enough having one person call you that…

So it was one particular morning that Mr. Kindly wasn't looking his best. It was one of those days were stress seems to get the better of people. "What's up with him?" Rin asked, taking her usual spot next to Sango.

"When he gets like this, I usually don't ask," she said getting back to her work. It looked as if he'd been up all night. His hair was completely covering his face and the top two buttons of his white shirt were open. It, however, made him look surprisingly hotter…if that was even possible.

"Damn this thing to hell…" he muttered flexing his claws, "if these things weren't so damn expensive… mark my words…it'd be in about eleven pieces right about now." He ran his fingers back through his hair, making it somewhat neater. In about three swift movements, he had gone from office to elevator and disappeared behind their double doors.

Everyone else found this behavior normal and carried on with their work. But curious, curious Rin **had **to see what the big deal was about. So she casually waltzed in to the office…after all…it was open…and a peak couldn't hurt, right?

It seemed that he'd been yelling at his 'death trap' a.k.a. computer. So what was the big issue here? Rin saw none…everything looked fine. Being the curious one, she looked around his desk. On it a memo: _problem logging in. Get someone to fix._

What kind of big deal was that? It was all a simple measure of…fine, fine…I won't explain it. Anyway, in a few minutes, it was all good. Satisfied with her work, she turned the chair around to leave. Slight problem there…it turns out that our dear Sesshy had been standing there.

"May I ask what you're doing here?" he asked calmly, an unreadable expression on his face. No actual words came as a response. "One would think, that it is believed that another should not be in one's private area without permission, correct?" She nodded her head slowly. "Then what are you still doing here?" Bowing quickly, she left his office, heart beating faster than normal.

"What happened?" whispered Sango. She had watched the scene from her desk, but heard no actual words.

"Never mind," Rin sat down, getting back to her work. Only trouble was, she had no work. But now probably wasn't the best time to go see Sesshomaru.

'Stupid girl. What does she think she is? Having rights to look into other peoples property.' Turning back on the monitor, it seemed to work. So all she really did was fix the damn thing. Guess someone owes another an apology…or at least a thank you. HA! That would be the day…when Sesshomaru thanked someone. Pfft! Ya right.

"Hey Smart Cookie. Come here for a minute," he said in his naturally monotone voice. Rin cussed under her breath, damn was she gonna have it. Sango gave her a weak smile…at least she had some friends left in this cruel world. She stood at the door, waiting. "You going to stand there all day?"

"Do I have **permission **to enter?" she asked in an annoyed tone, avoiding adding 'your highness' in her words.

He gave a small smirk. "So you've learned. Very good. And yes, you may come in." she sat in a chair and waited for him to fire her. It would have been for the best. Well, if he was planning on booting her anyway. "So…do you know why I called you here?"

"I have a vague idea." Her face was serious, but inside was afraid and somewhat ashamed.

"Think I'm going to fire you?" he asked. Rin said nothing. "That's what you're thinking, is it not?" She slowly nodded her head. "But why would I fire one of my smartest employees?" Could he just get to the point already?

"I don't see what's your point."

"I intend for you to keep your job. Only, I would appreciate that you tell me before you go through and fix my belongings." So basically this was the Sesshomaru way of saying "sorry, my bad. I shouldn't have yelled."

She smiled. It wasn't everyday you saw him apologize. "Thanks." She turned to leave, but he stopped her.

"I have one further question." She raised an eyebrow. "How in hells name did you fix this?"

Sesshomaru? Asking for help? Things never cease to amaze me. "I'll show you. Here, it's all simple really."

"For you, maybe. I'm not the one with the degree from Yale in technology. So explain on, Smart Cookie." He looked over her shoulder as she started to explain about some computer malarkey. This would go in one ear and out the other. It didn't matter though, his proper thoughts were more important.

While speaking, Rin was also thinking on the situation. 'I guess he doesn't hate me. But boy can he ever annoy me to hell. Funny, they always say that annoyance is a way of showing feeling. But Sesshomaru? Feelings of enjoying to toy with me. Where do I get my crazy thoughts from?'

'I have to admit, this girl is unique. I've never met someone like her. She's got spunk, which I'm glad for. And I wonder why? Spunk…hmm? I've never said that about someone before…'

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Hmm…who has messed with Sesshy's head? Not me…really…I'm serious! You want more? I say review… the more reviews…the faster update! C ya!


	4. Meeting Meiko

AN: Do do do do do…I'm in a really good mood today. Probably because I spent all of yesterday at Anime North! It was great! Anyway, I just wanted to say…this is one of my favorite chapters ever! (says in girly anime voice)(AO sweat-drops).

AO: Calm down…deep breaths.

SO: (inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale) I'm good. On with the chapter!

Disclaimer: Own nada, except for the plot…and my characters…which you will meet…in this chapter…

_I can't take it  
what am i waiting for?  
my hearts still breaking  
I miss you even more  
And I can't fake it  
The way I could before  
I hate you, but I love you  
I can't stop thinking of you!  
It's true,  
I'm stuck on you_

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Chapter 4

Meeting Meiko

After awhile, it seemed that everyday was a repeat of the last. But it wasn't a bad thing. Eventually, she didn't need permission to enter his office, and simply took the liberty of letting herself in. And later on, His Royal Majesty just got used to it. She seemed to spend more time in his area than her own. But that was simply a habit.

So she'd walk in and pull up a chair behind him. And basically it would go from there, on a day-to-day basis. Whether it was troubleshooting or whatnot. Other times it was general feedback on whatever he was doing. Today, however, was different. It may have started out the same, but where it would lead her was a small trip down memory lane…

-----------------------------------

Rin walked along the top floor until she reached her desk. "Morning, Sango," she said removing her jacket and setting down her coffee and handing Sango hers that she picked up as well.

"Thanks. Same to you," she said blowing into her drink, trying to cool it down. She slowly sipped it and sighed. "Mmm…good." Setting it down, she turned to her friend. "What you doing tonight?"

"Not much, I guess. I was hoping to give Bankotsu a call later. I need to speak with him about something." She replied flatly as she booted up her computer. It hummed for awhile until the 'welcome' screen showed up. She quickly checked her email. Some notices, some junk mail and others were people who had questions or comments on different matters. So after skimming through the important ones, she got up and walked into Sesshomaru's office. Sango had gotten used to this routine.

"So what's new today?" she asked as she grabbed a chair from any old place in his office. She positioned herself behind and slightly to the left so she could see over his shoulder. Today he seemed to be working on an Internet site…or something like that.

"I don't know. Something that Suzi wanted me to look at. So really, I want not to waste my time on this," he said as he drummed his fingers on the desk.

"Aww. It can't be that bad, can it?" she asked draping her elbows over his shoulder. Unintentionally might I add. And it didn't help much when her arms didn't seem to be listening to her brain at this point. So they just stayed there. 'Crap. I'm flirting now. I'm no better than those crazed women now…great…'

But the action didn't seem to faze Sesshomaru. So things continued as normal. "Well I see nothing here. You may see what she finds so interesting about this site. I have further business to attend to." With that, he left the office, leaving Rin alone. Well there wasn't much more to do…so why not?

Soon after, an unknown figure stepped into the offices…well, unknown to Rin anyway.

She had been surfing the site for at least half an hour and still nothing. Sesshomaru was right on this one. Footsteps could be heard outside in the hallway. But it was probably just someone wandering, which happened rather often. "Sesshomaru?" called the voice that sounded somewhat far away. Rin chose to ignore this and continue with whatever she was supposed to be doing. Suddenly, a hand came down upon the chair. It swirled around to face this person. Confused, Rin looked into the person's eyes. He looked familiar…

--------------------------------

The elevator landed on the 27th floor, Inutaishou aboard. His son didn't seem to be answering his calls, so he came to talk in person. Now where had that son of his gone? Might as well check his office. He had some 'good mornings' from some of the workers. After all, he was the president of the company. Sesshomaru simply was the head of this division. (I mean, come on people. This IS the family of the western lands after all. They have to be rich.) "Sesshomaru?" he called with no reply to follow. Nice way to greet a father, nee? Ah…there was his office. Stepping inside, he spun the chair around, expecting to see his son. But it was surprising to find a woman instead. "Terribly sorry, ma'am."

"That's alright," she smiled and gave her hand. "I expect he will be out of his meeting shortly. Oh, and I'm Rin, by the way, his assistant."

"Inutaishou." He said taking her hand. "If you don't mind, I'm going to have a seat and wait for my son."

"Your son?" she repeated as more of a question. Well that explained the hair and the eyes. And then it clicked. "That's right. I remember…I saw you a few times when I came over to your house." He looked at her with a questioning expression. "I was friends with Inuyasha, your other son…if I'm correct."

"You know him?"

She nodded. "Well, at least, I used to. Him, me and his girlfriend, Kagome, went to high school together way back when."

"Wow…that was how long ago? Nine, ten years now?"

"Something like that." She was about to ask whatever happened to them as Sesshomaru walked in.

"Father." He acknowledged.

"Sesshomaru." He said nodding his head once. "I have several things to discuss with you." Seeing that it was private business, Rin stood up, bowed quickly and left back to her desk. Now that was…odd… She talked to Sango for quite some time, until Inutaishou left his office. "Oh and one more thing, Rin." She turned his head towards him. "I would like for you to accompany us at dinner this evening. It will be a great chance to reacquaint with my other son."

"Thank you, sir. I will be there." She smiled as he left through the elevator doors once again.

The day went by rather quickly after that. Rin said her good-byes to Sango and co-workers as they left. She had been offered a lift by Sesshomaru. But she highly doubted it was on his own will…his father probably told him to. But did it matter? She was going to be sitting alongside him. Okay, calm down…that's no big deal…

"Are you coming today, Smart Cookie?" he asked, tossing her coat.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a coming." She rolled her eyes and followed him to his Mercedes. My goodness, he certainly went 'all-out' when buying a car, hun? She got in and an uncomfortable silence lingered between the two. "So…" was all she could think of. No response came from Sesshomaru who was paying attention to the road. "So…are you really going to call me 'Smart Cookie' in front of your little brother?" she smiled when she finally caught his attention.

"Surely you know that answer to that. Please refrain from asking things you already know." He watched her out of the corner of one eye for a second, then back to the road.

"Really? I never thought you'd call me that with him around. Chee, did you two become closer or something? That isn't the Sesshomaru I know…" She could tell that this was getting on his nerves. But why not see how far it would go…but that had to be saved for another day. For the house (err…mansion) lay ahead. And not a minute too soon either, they'd have probably killed each other. Almost as if they were alone in the same house together for a week…(not a bad idea…but anyway…)

The place seemed empty as they walked in the front door. So empty, that your shoes echoed on the marble floor when you walked across it. She put her jacket on a small coat rack near the entrance. "Well I'm off. Please don't touch anything." He walked off quickly without a glance back.

She would have screamed, "so now where am I supposed to go? Tell me!" But we will save that for later, okay? Slowly walking into the bigger area of the hall, her shoes made that echo noise. It was so damn creepy. Especially since she knew someone was watching her. It creaked behind her. Whirling around quickly…it was nothing. Odd. Out of no where, something somewhat heavy landed on her back. Rin let out a small shriek of surprise and fell to her knees from the weight that had jumped on to her back.

When she looked up, another set of eyes were looking into hers. "Holly shit!" she breathed skidding backwards a little. It was a child. A brown-eyed, sliver-hair, pointed eared, child. She seemed to be observing Rin with much care.

"Uncle Sesshy doesn't usually bring home women who use profanities. But come to think of it, you're the only girl Uncle has brought home in his whole life." Rin couldn't help but laugh. This kid was so cute! "What's you name?"

"I'm Rin," she said extending her hand. "What's yours?"

"Meiko. I'm six and a half years old and have one little brother. His name is Kazen, and he's two. But you don't have to worry about him. Mama always takes care of him." Meiko had a huge grin on her face, and seemed proud to be telling this to a grown-up. "I like you. You seem nice. And you're very pretty. I can see why my Uncle likes you…" Rin blushed a bit of embarrassment. And she was only talking to a six-year-old…

"Meiko, honey…come here. You'd better not be causing trouble again," called a woman's voice but couldn't be seen.

"I'm not, Mama. I'm talking to Uncle's girlfriend here." I think this little girl had to get her thoughts straightened out. But it wasn't a bad thought…not at all.

'Girlfriend? Oh, probably that woman that Inutaishou mentioned earlier.' She stepped into the large hallway were Rin and Meiko stood. "Come here honey. Stop bothering the nice lady." She said as her daughter jumped into her arms.

"I wasn't bothering Rin, Mama. I was having a discussion with her." She kissed her mother on her cheek. Great…here comes another memory. The mother was no other than…Kagome Higurashi.

"Rin?" the named sot of lingered in her mouth. "Really?" Kagome put down Meiko and walked over to Rin. "How long has it been?" she hugged her friend happily.

"Nine years…I think. I seriously didn't think you'd ever tie the knot with dear old Inuyasha." Rin smiled weakly, remembering the old jokes they used to have about their boyfriends. Ah…so long ago, yet it seemed like yesterday. (Ever get that feeling?) So here began this trip down memory lane…

After about five minutes, Meiko got bored. "Um, Mama? Are you done ranting on about your past? Cuz I'm hungry and Jiji is calling us."

"Run along now, Meiko dear. And go tell your father to come down here. I'm sure Rin wants to see him again." With a quick nod of her head, that kid was out of sight. Kagome smiled at the sight of her child. "So how are things working out?" she asked quietly, remembering her financial situation in school.

"Meh…they're working. It'll come around later." They walked and talked until the dining room. And even in the dining room. It must be a knack girls have at finding so much to talk about. (Stereotypical, maybe. But I think it's most common in girls…take me…I can talk for hours on end…and I don't know why…) Inuyasha came into the room holding Meiko in his arms.

"Come, Inuyasha. Remember our old friend, Rin? From high school?" Kagome smiled happily.

A look of confusion crossed his face. "Umm…"

Kagome's expression darkened. "You don't remember my best friend from high school?" Her tone was menacing, meaning someone was gonna get it. Most likely Inuyasha.

"Please don't be mad, Kagome. You know I have terrible memory when it comes to these things. Come on…"

"No…you need to learn to remember."

"Come on!" He began to follow her, trying to get her to reconsider his decision. And she said the same thing every time. And that's exactly how Rin remembered it. Not much had changed.

Meiko went and stood beside Rin. "Don't worry. They always fight like this. And Dad always looses."

Rin laughed, "Alright. Now, where is your grandmother? I believe she knows me."

"Oh. She's looking after Kazen. But I told her you were here. And she said to tell you hi, and that you'd probably have to speak to her another time. But you know what's weird?" Rin shrugged her shoulders. "She laughed when I referred to you as Uncle Sesshy's girlfriend. Do you know why?"

Rin smiled. "I haven't the faintest idea." She was too cute. Inutaishou announced dinner was ready. Meiko took a seat next to Rin. She had taken a liking to her quite quickly. Sesshomaru finally decided he was going to show up and took a place at the opposite side of the table. And Kagome and Inuyasha sat wherever there was room.

"Here's to a reunion of old friends," Inutaishou raised his glass filled with sake. They all drank including Sesshomaru, surprisingly. But somehow it was probably because was thirsty…I mean, you can't expect much from him can you? So in the end, they all drank, well, all except for Meiko, who wanted a sip. Eventually Inuyasha gave her his glass with a little left in it.

"Come on, Inuyasha. That's not good for her. You're going to turn her into an alcoholic." Scolded Kagome. And here came another infamous argument on whether or not children should be allowed alcohol. So basically the dinner went on from there. A small subject went like this:

"I do hope you're coming to the reunion tomorrow," Kagome said rather happily.

"Oh…I wasn't planning to." Kagome gave Rin a pleading look. "But…" the plead turned into an if-you're-not-going-to-come-on-your-own-I'm-going-to-force-you look. "I give up. I'll come."

"Yay!" she squealed. Oh dear…things could get crazy when Kagome started to act like a child.

After dinner, they all went their separate ways. Kagome and Rin continued talking. Well, until Meiko tugged on Rin's blouse sleeve. "I wanna show you something."

"Sure thing." She got up and Kagome followed.

"No, Mama. I want only Rin to see." The two friends looked at each other and shrugged. She gave a small wink and left the two alone. After she was out of sight, Meiko grabbed Rin's hand. "Come."

Some time later, Rin wondered exactly this little girl was taking her. "So where are we going exactly?"

"We're here," she said stopping on front of a door. "This is Uncle Sesshy's room."

"Be reasonable, Meiko. I can't go in there. I don't have permission." She said, recalling the situation when she'd begun working with him.

"You don't. But I can go in whenever I want. Wait here." She quickly slipped inside. Wait here…where else was she supposed to go? Everything looked the same in this house. It was a wonder she didn't get lost in this place. She was so lost in thought she didn't notice Meiko coming out. "I'm back. Here, it's a gift from me." In her hand, she held a black rose.

"Oh, thank you. It's very pretty. But, what was it doing in Sesshomaru's room?"

"I gave him two black roses one day from the garden. And he didn't seem to care so I left it on a shelf. So now you have one, and Uncle has one. Think of it as a pair of rings, if you wish. But I like roses better." I think this kid was overly convinced that her and Sesshomaru were a couple.

"Thanks," she said placing it behind her ear. As she did so, her watch came in front of her face. "My goodness! Look at the time. I best go soon. And you, young lady, best be off to bed."

"Okay, come visit soon." She said running down the hall. But quickly came speeding back, "I have one more thing to ask. I'm going to call you Auntie Rin. Cause you are going to be, right?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." She smiled as Meiko gave a pout and went to bed. And a few wrong turns, and some directions from a maid, she found her way back to the main hall. She was surprised to find Sesshomaru there, almost as if he was expecting her.

"You ready?" he asked handing her coat.

"Yeah…and when you get back tell Kagome and Inuyasha I said 'bye'."

"Whatever. Hurry up…I don't have all day." As she bushed past him, he noticed the rose in her hair. "Meiko give this too you?"

"Yeah…she seems to have a perception of us…" and nothing else was said after that. So the brat had given her an identical rose to his. He didn't know why, but that rose looked right in place in her hair. Weird, he didn't actually think that…did he? Good Lord, she'd poisoned his thoughts. She was beginning to grow on him…

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hehehe! Rin is growing on Sesshy. What is this world coming to? the quicker you review…the sooner you find out.

: )

;P


	5. My High School Reunion

AN: hmm…not much to say, (which is probably a good thing.) Weird chapter I tellz ya. But whatever, all the same.

Disclaimer: I own nothing… "you know what I'm saying, you know what I mean".

Now love's a broken record

That's been skippin' in my head

I keep singing Yesterday

Why we got to play these games we play?

I aint trippin

I'm just missin you

You know what I'm saying

You know what I mean

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Chapter 5

My High School Reunion

"So how'd it go?" Sango asked leaning forward over the table. Her and Rin were sitting at a small breakfast place the next morning. It was about fifteen minutes until they had to leave for work.

"How'd what go?" Rin asked fixing the rose in her hair. She had become attached to it…even if it was just given to her yesterday.

"Don't pretend you don't know…I'm talking about the dinner. How did it go?" she listened attentively as she sipped the coffee.

"It went," was Rin's simple reply. "Nothing happened. Must you always assume something happened?"

"Come on…something **had **to have occurred. Even something small. Please? Come on, now you're being mean. Rin…" she whined as the two left the café and off to the office. She was starting to remind Rin of Meiko.

"So can you pick me up tonight for the reunion?" Rin asked changing the subject.

"Make you a deal. Tell me **something **that happened and you get a free lift."

Now she was stuck. "I met Meiko. That such a big thing to tell? Well, you have to take me now."

Sango knew she wasn't going to win this one. Besides, she'd probably end up telling her later. "Fine, whatever." They rode up the long elevator ride in silence. Rin fixed the small wrinkles on her pant leg just before the doors opened. They sat down and the routine began.

"Hi, Sesshomaru. What's new today?" Yes, as time went on, you stop talking like it's your boss, and start treating them like a friend. And, may no one see the day, when Sesshomaru answered to a friendly greeting. So all of a sudden, after four months, he was now an equal? I don't think so.

So he said nothing for a minute, like he didn't hear the question. "Why don't people cease to annoy me with such problems of their own?" he spoke furiously into the monitor.

"Please, it can't be that frustrating, can it?" she said ruffling her hair. A petal from the black rose fell onto the table. "Oh dear, the rose is wilting already?"

Sesshomaru reached back and took the rose out of her hair. Sure enough, another petal fluttered to the ground. "You really should take better care of this. Meiko will be very upset if this falls apart." He lay it down on the table and turned to face her. That was enough stupid computer things for one day. "If you hang it upside down for a few days, it will last a lot longer."

Now, here's something new. The Big Shot teaching a lowly employee about gardening. "I never knew that you could care for anything other than yourself. So now it's yourself, Meiko and gardening." Rin smiled as she could see that she was annoying him again.

If it had been anyone but Sesshomaru, they would have said 'puleeze!' "I have been simply listened to my sister-in-law to much. She will go on for hours about one thing." (In other words 'puleeze'.)

"Whatever," she sighed. There was no point in arguing over something so pointless. She got her assignment of the day and left. Sesshomaru mentally counted, 'one, two, three, four, five…' Rin quickly came back in and took the rose from his hand.

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That evening, she was dressed in a long black dress. Her hair in a high bun with two strands hanging in front. She had on a light blue eye shadow and some red lip-gloss that she had bought when in the states. It was a pinkish color and held in a seashell as a container. (Anyone who's seen ep. 147-148 knows what I'm talking about. Sorry, just had to use that.) A loud honk outside meant that Sango and Miroku had arrived. She quickly grabbed a purse and headed out the door.

"My, my. It's been so long, hasn't it Rin?" Miroku asked kissing the back of her hand. He was the same as she remembered: kind, flattering, and a gentleman. And for once (in his life) didn't try anything perverted.

"There's hope for you yet," Rin and Sango laughed while he shook his head. "Come on. Let's not be late…"

- Reunion -

So here **we **are. This is all it is. A bunch of tables and chairs lined around a dance floor. Who said a high school reunion is a big thing? Certainly not me…really, all there is that is actually worth while, is seeing the people that you haven't seen for nine years out of the rest of the how-many-more years of your life.

So here **you** are, trying to find your name along with the other three hundred former students who graduated within a range of five years. Anywhere from 1991-1996. So there you have it. So I leave you here, where our dear old friends rant and rave about their table numbers…sad I know.

"So what number did you guys get?" Kagome asked, tossing a wad of her raven hair behind her head.

"Table 15. You? I think they're in alphabetical order by last name." Sango had her arm linked through Miroku's.

"Number 6. I guess we'll see you then." Kagome took her husband by the arm. And he didn't seem particularly happy to be there. Nor did his brother. But if you do what's good for you, you'd listen to Kagome. That girl can make you do anything…I swear!

Rin joined Sango and Miroku at the table. She looked around for Kagome…well, it was more like she was looking for Sesshomaru, but it's all the same. It wasn't like, 'oh look. What table did you get? 15? Me too! Wow, we always seem to end up together, don't we?' You see? That stuff doesn't happen in real life.

The first part of the evening was about as dull as a pinhead. You just **longed **to see your former teachers and principal make a twenty-minute long speech about how happy they are to see 'all you youngsters… well not anymore, but I'm happy to see you all back and supporting your school'. Please…what a corny speech. I bet it was used for every reunion. At this rate…it was gonna be a loooooong night.

So after the torture of lectures that they liked to call "welcoming speeches", food was finally served. So here come the dinner conversations, which was more interesting then those '**ahem'** welcomings. But not by much. 'Why am I here?' Rin mentally slapped herself for agreeing to come.

After awhile, music became loud and many people flooded the dance floor. People including Sango…who happened to be dragging Rin along with her. At any rate, it gave her something to do so that she didn't wither away and die of boredom. "Come on, lighten up. Where's the old Rin that made a good time out of the worst times possible?" Sango said taking her hands, trying to make her sway to the music.

"She died. A long time ago," Rin sighed. Sango was right. If they really were still in school, she would have found the best way to have fun. Not anymore.

This next little while is for you guys to chill with some people you lost contact with. Hope you peoples are having a great time at your reunion. The DJ replaced the mike.

Fun…having...? I think not! But now random people begun to dance with other past graduates that they didn't even know. So why not? She had managed to somehow wind up with Inuyasha. "Hey…I remember you now," he smiled, showing his fangs.

"Well if you didn't, you'd probably never have heard the end of it from Kagome, hun?" she smiled back.

"No…I don't think so. She gave me a helluva time last night anyway." Rin laughed recalling yesterday's occurrences. Goodtimes, I tells ya. "So Kagome was right. You are different. What happened to you? I remember a hyper older kid. One that didn't look like she was that bright, but was about three times as smart as I am."

"Oh yeah, her…she died…when I went to study in America." She was beginning to miss those carefree days of her high school life. But that was then, and this was now.

"I see…"he trailed off as the song ended. "Well, I'll see ya around, I guess." With that, he went off somewhere else. After not exactly looking where she was going, she bumped into Miroku.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I really need to watch where I walk."

"You certainly do. But you can make it up to me by sharing this next song with me." He gave a small smile and extended his hand. "So getting friendly with everyone again?"

"Depends on what terms you mean by that."

"Oh nevermind. I'd like to stay on my feminine friends good side today." After that, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts for awhile. Almost looked as if he was conversing inside his head. And a short time later, he began to slide his hands downward.

"And you were doing so well…" Rin commented before slapping him across the face. A small crowd quickly formed to see what all the commotion was about. But as soon as they had come, they'd left, saying, "oh, it's only Miroku again. Yeah…I remember…he was the pervert."

She was about to walk off the dance floor, when someone grabbed her wrists. "Hey. You're going to have this dance with me." His voice was cold. Looking into his face, his eyes were red and his skin was a sickly gray.

"Umm…okay…I guess…" she wasn't in the greatest place to object. Some random guy that looked like he'd spent his life scaring children away for a living, had just grabbed her away from other activities. That's how creepy this man looked. "So…" she said trying to start a conversation, "I never seen you at school before."

"I graduated a few years before you." She was now avoiding his eye. This guy was beyond creepy. She wanted nothing to do with him.

Just before the end of the song, she decided she had to know his name. It was better than calling him 'crazy man'. "You never did tell me your name."

His lips turned into a crooked smile. "You want my name? I'll tell you. It's Naraku. Remember it…because it won't be the last time you hear it." He seemed to be swallowed up in the sea of people after that.

Okay…let's hope we've seen the last of him. Backing away slowly, she seemed to have made a habit of bumping into people. "Sorry," she turned and face Sesshomaru. "ohh…"

"Who was that?" he asked, placing his hands around hers, as the next (omg…how many slow songs can they play? Don't ask me…even if I am writing this fic) song.

"I dunno. Some creepy guy called Naraku. He said something like he'll be back. Creepy." The thought sent shivers up her spine. (I have used the word 'creepy' like, 5 times already. God, I'm sick of that word now.)

"I don't want you seeing him again."

"Yes **father**. I didn't plan on meeting him again anyway. Besides, I didn't even think you cared."

"What makes you think I do? As my employee, you are my responsibility." (Now at this point, Rin is going 'sure, sure'.)

"You do care. But you just won't admit it." He said nothing, meaning the end of this little chat. "You're impossible, do you know that?" she eventually gave up. She joined Sango and Miroku who had had just about enough of this little party.

"See you guy around," Sango waved to Kagome and a couple other friends. The car ride was silent. Sango broke the silence. "So, Rin, how was it?"

"Fine."

"It was only fine because the love of your life actually held you close." She smiled with a big grin.

"No…and besides. Everyone danced with everybody. No big deal."

"It is actually. Aside from Kagome, he only danced with you. Anyway, just admit it. You're still hung up on him. I know you are."

"I am so not!" she said, climbing out of the car that was in front of her place. "See you tomorrow, Sango. Thanks for the ride Miroku." She closed the car door and took out the keys for her house. But Sango spoke the truth; she still was stuck on him. There was absolutely no hope of moving on.

So apart from his sister in-law, he only danced with her. Hmm…

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Now everyone is probably tired of hearing me say "plz review" all the time, as I think I do say that every time, lol. So today I won't say "plz review" because I all know that you will review anyway. And right now I'm running late and pplz are yelling at me like always, so I take my leave.

"Please Review"

-Crap, I said I wouldn't say it. I guess it's a habit.


	6. We Meet Yet Again

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AN: Okay…it was awhile since I last updated…really sorry. There is only going to be 1 or 2 more updates before I go to camp…a whole month without a computer (sits and cries). Is it just my imagination or am I getting less and less reviews the more I post? Whatever.

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Every now and then,

When I'm all alone,

I've been wishing you would call me on the telephone

Say you want me back,

But you never do,

I feel like such a fool

There's nothing I can do

I'm such a fool for you

****

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Chapter 6

We Meet Yet Again

Days certainly start out in the most normal ways possible. So how can that, turn into something I like to call a plain disaster? Someone up there enjoys to torment us. It must be fun. But after the storm has to come a rainbow. Well, it wasn't really a rainbow, but it could come close. A disaster is something that can bring faraway people together.

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"So tonight, the place on Main Street. That okay?" asked Bankotsu into the phone.

"Sounds great. See you then!" Rin smiled as she replaced the receiver. This was it; she was going to break up with him. There was no point in continuing a relationship with him if she was madly infatuated with someone else.

Grabbing her leather case off of the table, she set off down the road for work…

-Work -

"So that's it? You're doing it?" asked a really excited Sango. She was fixing her magenta eye shadow while talking away and typing with one finger. Talk about multitasking.

"Um hum. I'm sure he won't mind though. I bet he was cheating on me for awhile."

"Too bad…" Sango was cut off by Sesshomaru who was standing in the doorway to his office.

"Are you two going to spend all day gossiping? I have work for you if you're bored," he tossed some of his long, well kept, sliver hair out of his face and sat back down in his office.

"Listen…" Sango said lowering her voice and putting her compact away. "I wanna hear all the details. Call me tonight, got it?"

"Sure thing. I'll be home around ten. Wait for my call."

- Dinner -

"Mmmm… thanks for dinner baby," Rin said lightly brushing his lips. Though she felt kind of guilty doing so. She had done it before, but that was before **he **came into the picture yet again. What she didn't know, was that her 'baby' was feeling the same guilt. "But…there's something I have to tell you."

"Yeah…me too." He looked at the floor, as did Rin. It was silence for a few minutes. Only one could hear the hum of other couples talking happily amongst themselves. "You first," he smiled weakly, almost afraid of what she was going to say.

"No, you."

"Both of us together," was his compromise. She nodded in agreement. "Okay, on three. One, two, three!"

"We have to break up," they said in unison. Well then everything was worked out. They both couldn't see each other. Plain and simple.

"I'm really sorry, but I can't keep seeing you if I have someone else I like better, no offense," Rin said fairly quickly.

He nodded, "That's alright. I have the same issue. I think Jakotsu is here now…let me see. Oi! Jakotsu! Over here," he waved to a person with blackish hair.

"Hi Bankotsu. Oh and you must be Rin. Pleasure is all mine," he said extending his hand. Err…she assumed it was a he. Even though he had the girliest voice possible. He had two blue stripes on his face, that reminds one of tears in an odd way.

"Charmed," Rin said extending her own. This was really creepy. So it was probably a good time to leave. "But if you two don't mind, I really need to get going. I have to call someone."

"Well I'll see you around," Bankotsu gave her a final hug as they parted their separate ways. Rin stepped into the night of the April air. It was a cool evening as she walked along the street. Thankfully the restaurant wasn't far from her house. But something wasn't right. It was just this feeling that you get. Looking behind and around her, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Oh well, must have been the wind.

And from this point on, everything happened in hyper-speed. Seeing a dark shadow quickly emerge from a near by alleyway, it closed the gap between them. But all she was doing was scaring herself; it wasn't coming after her…was it? And as fast as the person had appeared, he was lost into the depths of the night. Slowly turning around, she slammed into someone. She presumed it was a man, judging my his contour. But she couldn't see his face. Anyhow, he grabbed her hands and held them tightly with one hand. Rin tried desperately to scream, but his free hand covered her mouth. Remember, all this is happening in hyper-speed mode. So not exactly knowing what hit her, everything went completely black…

- Sango's -

It was around 10:30. Still not a word from Rin. 'She's probably running late,' was Sango's reasonable explanation. But still, one can't help but wonder…

- In the meantime -

She was sitting. Sitting where? This was undetermined. A dim light could be seen, other than that, it was all dark. Her head was giving her hell, to top things off. "Comfy?" asked a cold voice, who seemed rather far away. Well, she was half out of it anyway.

"In all hells…" was all she could say, while moving her hand to rub her aching head. Only, she was meaning to…if her hands weren't tied behind her. Something strange was going on…put an emphasis on the strange.

"Don't look so hurt, dear, not much more pain will be intended…if you cooperate that is."

Suddenly, things became clearer. She could remember whom the voice belonged to. He was going to regret giving her his name. _Remember it…because it won't be the last time you hear it_. "You son of a…"

"No need for harsh words now, beautiful," he said placing his hand around her mouth for the second time. "I'm sure you remember me. It's rather hard not to."

"Naraku…" she whispered in a deadly tone. "What do you want? You better let me go or I'll…"she paused. What exactly was she going to do?

"Hmm? Is your precious man going to save you? The inu-youkai one?" he smiled cockily leaning closer to her face. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Sweets, but he ain't coming to your rescue today. Fortunately, I'm here for you. I'll gladly replace him." Rin didn't need to be told that twice. Her reflexes were quick enough. Her hands may have been tied, but her feet weren't. She gave him a swift kick in the face.

"You slime…" she breathed. "You touch me ever again and I swear you will regret ever meeting me."

It took awhile for him to get over the shock of being kicked in the face. "You've got guts, bitch. I'm surprised. But you really need to learn your place in the world." He extended a hand, and did the exact thing she had done to him. The impact pushed her off the chair, and onto the floor. "Next time, you will think twice about what you do." He had on a stern face. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be back in one hour for the next step." Before he left, he bound her feet together and put a cloth over her mouth. Just before he headed out the door, he blew a tiny kiss. This man was sick.

Shortly after he left, another sound was heard. It was coming from another part of the darkened room. It sounded like a door creaking. "It seems father has brought home another woman." It was rather confusing actually. Who was this woman talking to? Rin could feel her presence, but no one else.

"So it seems…" said a soft muffled child's voice. Only, this child had no life in her tone. Just dead.

"Kanna, please keep a watch out for Naraku. I want to see this girl." The mystery woman made her way from her side of the room, to Rin's. She managed to stay hidden in the shadows. Rin could feel her stare…even if she was unable to see it. 'This girl…she carries the scent of another. A demon. I recognize this demon scent. It's him, the one I knew so many years ago…' "If I take that cloth from your mouth, promise me you'll not scream. I won't hurt you, but I must know some things."

Rin nodded. She could see two clawed hands come from behind her and loosen the cloth from her face. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if…"

The woman put up her hand, telling her to stop. She stepped into the dimly lit circle of light. She had the eye color of blood, and the hair of the midnight sky. She looked around the same age as Rin…only in worse condition. Apparently, Naraku was her father. And Rin could tell he abused her. A big bruise showed on her cheekbone, and many scars showed that she had a few rough times with him. "What is your connection?"

"Excuse me?" she was puzzled by the question that made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

"What are you to him?"

"To Naraku?"

"No…I am talking about him. The dog demon. What are you to him?" she asked one final time, never taking her eyes off Rin.

"Sesshomaru? I am his secretary. What is it to you?" so many questions buzzed like bees around and around her head.

"Oh, it's nothing really. I'm just curious."

"I see…I have a question. May I know who you are, and why you're helping me?"

"My name is Kagura. I am offspring to that bastard of a father. But I don't had much choice in the matter. He let's me do his dirty work for him, as he holds my life in his hands." She gave a look of despair on her calm face.

"I feel terribly sorry for you. Is there any way I can help?"

"Sadly no…I wish there was but…" her attention turned to a figure dressed in white. Heck, she was white from head to toe, including skin and hair.

"He approaches, sister," she said as she went back into the shadows.

"You have to get going. Go before my father comes after you," she said taking out her fan and cutting loose the ropes. "I'll stall him as much as possible."

"I…I'll never forget you. Thanks so much."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't go all mushy on me. Now hurry up and get!" Rin needed not to be told twice. In about ten seconds, she had run out of the house, and down it's concrete steps that lead back to the streets. In the distance, she could hear Kagura. She sounded in pain. One day, she was going to help her. But Rin really shouldn't have turned her head. Nearing the bottom, she missed a step and fell flat on her face. Pain stung her cheek, but she had to keep going.

She was aware of him following. She knew he was after her. In the distance, she could see her house, oh thank Lord. Unlocking the front door, she looked back to see how far away he was. About two blocks behind. She stepped in, and quickly shut it. She bolted all the doors and windows. Thank heavens, she was safe. Rin picked up the receiver. It was midnight. Nevertheless, Sango had to know. But that's odd the phone was dead.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," said a familiar cold voice from behind her. Oh crap…

- Morning at work -

She hadn't called. And she hadn't shown up for work. Something was up. Perhaps she was sick. But she would have called. Maybe she got drunk and had a hangover…no…Rin doesn't drink a lot. It didn't seem to worry anyone else except Sango.

"I'm telling you. Something is wrong. Come on. You know it too." Sango was sitting in her boss's office, trying to convince him to come with her. "Her phone is dead. Her cell isn't on. I need to know what in this damn world is happening!" She paced around the room nervously.

"Calm yourself, woman. Nothing is wrong. You just over react to much," he said simply.

"I AM NOT GOING TO STAY CALM WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY BEST FRIEND, GOT THAT?" she yelled so anyone from Tokyo, to San Francisco, to Toronto, to London, to Tim-Buck-Too could hear.

He hit his head, making sure his ears still worked properly. "Stay calm…"

----------------------------------------------------

"You're thinking session is over," said Naraku from somewhere in the room. "Now…what do you have to say about running off on me?"

"You bastard. I have no intention of being any part of your life," she was so angry, practically on the verge of tears.

"Oh…I'm so sorry. You've lost our game. But we have some lovely parting gifts for you. One, which is, being a slave to Naraku." He smiled as she tried desperately to free herself from the ropes. But it was rather hard, from her position on the floor.

"Over my dead body," she winced as he grabbed her shoulder. He said nothing, but tried to run his free hand along her curves. "You sicko! Leave me the hell alone!" she tried to kick him yet again with her bound feet. Much to her loss, it didn't do a lot.

"Prepare yourself, bitch," he said popping open the top button of her shirt. "If you will stop squirming, it will be a lot less painful and it will be a lot quicker…"

A loud bang was heard from outside. Someone was trying to get in…

Sango cursed as she cradled her foot. Not to smart. Then it hit her. Rin had given her the house key way back when. It still should be on her key chain…just her luck. It was. A swift movement and she was in. There, she saw Rin sprawled on the floor, Naraku practically on top of her. Sango was right, something awful did happen. Well it didn't take too long to figure out what should be done next.

"You…I will hurt you for whatever you've done to my friend," Sango said anger rising in her voice. She rolled up her blouse sleeves, and rolled up the length of her pants so she wouldn't trip. She quickly tried to kick the shit out of this crazy man. It worked, for a little bit. But he had caught a hold of the heel of her shoes. He twisted it, and Sango fell to the ground. "Stupid high heeled shoes," she said, pain shooting up her arm that she'd landed on.

"Well, well. Looks like I'm going to have two chicks for the price of one…" But someone else was at the doorway. Naraku growled, of all the times for him to show up. "I'll be back. You just watch." And in a flash, he had gone.

Sesshomaru undid the binds that had restrained Rin. Sango was checking her arm for any broken bones. None seen; it was just a bad sprain. After she was freed, a long silence befell the room. It was broken by a sobbing Rin. She cried into Sesshomaru, who was somewhat surprised. It was a short time after that, when he placed his arms around her tearing figure. And for the first time in the many years that her parents died, she felt safe.

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Tell you the truth, I didn't expect this chapter to turn out like this. It was all so much better in my head! Stupid Hayama! (oops, wrong show) I mean: Stupid Naraku! See what watching to many animes does to me? Why am I even saying this? Ah!!! I don't know anymore! I just want to lie around and sleep -.-

Even in the middle of the day.


	7. My Protector

****

AN: I'm sad. Do you know why? Cuz I'm going to camp soon. No computer for a month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO! That means no updates for a month. I hate to say that. But don't worry, I should get lots of writing done there…I hope…lol. Maybe I'll finish this one…and start a new fic 2. Hmm…… anywayz, enough stalling and here is ch 7.

****

Disclaimer: check previous chapters, cuz I'm 2 lazy, it's soooo late now.

__

I can't take it

What am I waiting for?

My heart's still breakin'

I miss you even more

And I can't fake it

The way I could before

I hate you but I love you

I can't stop thinkin of you

It's true, I'm stuck on you

****

---------------------------------

Chapter 7

My Protector

So it was a big event. Well, I guess it wasn't that big. Or else it probably would still be an issue. So whenever someone mentioned the 'stalker', it was cool. No big…for now anyway. So here is a story that was a first in the books…in more ways than one. You can't exactly describe it in words, but actions will tell all…even if they are unintentional. So, here is where we start off on this ever so faithful day…

---------------------------------

'Twas as any old day at work. Notice the word 'twas. Meaning, it wasn't going to stay normal for long. Anyway, moving on, it was a fairly boring day, and the weather wasn't that great either. I usually find when it's gray and foggy out; I'm so out of everything. It's like someone is killing me softly. (Ok…I'm ranting again). So Rin and Sango were having one of their little (when I say little I really mean long) chats.

"Really! You can't be serious? Where in the world did you hear that?" squealed Sango. Sesshomaru gave an annoyed glare from where he was sitting. So she leaned closer and lowered the volume of her voice. "Is there anymore? Tell, tell, tell!"

"No…I said that's it." Rin brushed some dust off her black pants.

"Oh well…hey. You want some coffee?" Sango said getting up to stretch.

"Uh, sure." In a few minutes, Sango was back from the break room carrying two mugs in her hand. "Thanks," she said standing up as well. She took a long sip and decided to annoy Sango. The randomness of it all. "No decaff? I'm astonished you forget my favorite kind."

"Take it back it ya don't want it," replied Sango in a flat tone. She was way to tired to be annoyed.

"Jeez, you're no fun," she said giving Sango a small shove from her shoulder.

Now this was interesting. "Yo woman. You just push me?"

"So what if I did? What you gonna do about it?" challenged Rin. Everyone else that was watching just rolled their eyes and continued whatever they were doing before.

"I'll show you." She shoved her back with a little more force. If it wasn't for two desks on either side of her, she would have fallen completely backwards on the newly waxed floor. "Oops…that was a little two hard." She extended her hand.

Rin took it and walked backwards. "Good form, oh worthy adversary." Unfortunately, yet again, she wasn't paying attention where she was walking.

"Um, Rin…watch were…" that was a bit too late, as she'd crashed into the bookshelf. "you're going." Sango sighed.

"Stupid bookshelf," she said elbowing it. That wasn't the smartest thing either. A large book of who-knows-what fell off the top shelf and on to her head. "This is so not my day!" she said as she closed her eyes from the dizziness that beheld her from the falling book.

- A few minutes later… - (ah…I know Rin isn't supposed to be an airhead bud relax…go with the flow)

If you have ever been hit by a heavy, hard object with force before, you know it hurts. She slowly opened her eyes, trying to adjust to the brightly-lit room.

"Good God, woman. You had me scared for a minute. Don't ever run into a bookshelf ever again!" scolded Sango as she removed the damp cloth from her head. After Rin's eyes were working properly again, she was looking into the faces of her friend and her boss.

"How long was I out for?"

"Not that long. Just a couple minutes. But still…don't move," she said pushing Rin back down. She had tried to get up on her own. "Stay. I'm going to get some ice. Hey! I said stay."

She sighed, "Whatever." Sango was satisfied and left, leaving Rin and Sesshomaru by themselves. "She worries too much," Rin said, attempting to move once again.

"Go ahead. I'm not stopping you. But I would advise you to do as Sango said."

"Stop with the concern…all of you. I am perfectly fine." Though, it was rather hard to move when a pain is pounding in your head. But she was going to do this.

"You really shouldn't…" he cautioned, leaning slightly forward.

"I'm…urg…fine!" she said, closing her eyes and used all of the force in her arms to push herself into a sitting position. But she didn't exactly notice how far away she was from another person. A particularly attractive person at that. So it was a feeling of her lips…brushing someone else's. Her eyes wide open now; she caught hold of the situation. This was deep shit for her now. Totally falling back down, she had no breath left and her heart rate was that as if she'd just run the 400m race. "I am so sorry."

"Say nothing…she comes." And about ten seconds later, Sango showed up with the ice.

"Hey…are you okay? You're all red. You hot?" she rambled on with questions, but Rin wasn't listening. Had she just shared Mr. Emotional's first kiss? And he had just brushed it off like nothing had happened. What went on in this guy's mind? He was a whole mystery novel by himself.

-----------------------------------

She didn't want to talk for the rest of the day. She was too busy trying to sort things out in her head. But she was so busy, that she had avoided some of her work. Joy, now she had to stay after-hours and finish it. Always fun! She stared, bored, out the window. She fog was cleared now and some sunlight poured through the clouds. Might as well run some errands now rather than later.

It was while on the second floor when she noticed something out of the ordinary. No, it wasn't on the inside, more like the exterior on the street where few people were walking. This guy really doesn't give up…does he? Anyway, he wasn't a good sign, that's for sure.

"This **really **isn't my day!" she said to herself, hopping into the elevator. How much research did this stalker do anyway? She pressed the top button on the keypad. All this was really going to do was delay her inedible fate. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do. Where was she going to hide? All these questions leaded to one thing…she was toast.

She ran out of the open doors, not exactly knowing what to do next. He either was going to take the elevator, or the stairs. And being a half-demon that her was, he could quite easily climb those stairs two, no three times faster than a human could. Things were looking gray…terribly gray.

She heard the elevator hum; meaning it was on it's way down. She estimated about one minute to come up with something. Great…what a perfect day for it to all end. Who knows what he was planing this time. Stupid, creepy stalkers had to be so…well…creepy and stupid.

She was completely out of options. Wait! The phone. Oh glorious savior, the phone! Quick…all she had to do was call Sango and she'd be here quick, right? Yes, Rin was brilliant. Oh thank Heavens for Mr. Bell and his invention of the telephone.

She reached for the receiver. Now things went in slow motion for about five seconds. She felt someone put a hand over her mouth. Screaming was no use at this point. But it didn't feel like those cold hands of Naraku. No, this feel was different. She tried to remove the person's hand, but to no success. She could tell, it was definitely a man.

His other hand encircled her waist, drawing her very, very close. Not knowing why, the only thing she could do was growl. Looking back to this, she'd probably have laughed. She was acting like a dog.

"Please leave the growling to my brother."

He was always there, wasn't he? It was clear whom the voice belonged to. "He's here again, isn't he?" He didn't need an answer as the elevator stopped on the main floor.

'What in the world does he think he's doing, scaring me to death like that?' He stopped in front of a sliding mirror. She could see their clear reflection. What a sight. She was as white as a sheet. This really did match Sesshomaru's coloring quite well. Except there was no fear in his eyes. There wasn't any emotion, actually. A flaw that he always had.

"You are in quite a tough spot. You are fortunate that I was still here. But don't expect me to save you all the time, Smart Cookie." She nodded. Using his foot, he slid open the mirror. Well, it was more like a closet but whatever. He backed into a corner after closing it behind them, hand still over her mouth.

Her heart was racing. Half from fear, half from shock. "You better calm down. If your breath that fast, he'll hear your heartbeat," he said in a low voice. She needed to calm down. Nothing was going to happen…not with Sesshomaru here. (My goodness. That was so anime-girly. That's really the opposite of what I wanted Rin to turn into. No!!!! ooc-ish……:'( )

She slowed her breathing in time to the rise and fall of his chest. It seemed like forever. Probably took that long for her to get her heart rate down anyway. "He's near…" he said, looking through the mirror, that happened to be one-way. They could see everything that was happening on the outside. The elevator 'ding' meant he was here.

She couldn't see exactly what was happening…nor did she want to either. But the faint footsteps heard were proof of his presence. Rin drew a sharp breath as Naraku's head appeared around one of the corners. She could feel Sesshomaru's grip tighten around her. Could he have been a tad nervous? Mr. Emotional, nervous? Nah…can't be…can it?

Naraku pressed his face against the mirror. He couldn't seen anything but his own reflection. But he knew she was here. Unfortunately for him, so was the demon. The only demon who he actually feared. If they were together or not, he didn't know.

Rin bit her lip in anxiety. That crazed man was practically staring right at them, though not knowing it. It seemed like an eternity had gone by in silence. So far today, it was two eternities that had past. Removing his head from the glass, he slowly backed away. The scent of Sesshomaru was far greater that that of Rin's. So Naraku went in search on a different level.

Rin let out a small sigh of relief. He removed his hand from her mouth and loosened his grip around her waist, but not entirely letting go. The ears at the side of his head moved slightly up and down. He was still there…he could hear him. Rin reached for the door and opened it slightly. Coast was clear…thank Heavens. But here came the feeling that all wasn't completely right…

"I knew you were here," Naraku said, pushing Rin to the floor from behind. She bit her lip on the impact of the floor. She closed her eyes tight, waiting, afraid of what would happen next. But something, rather…someone, had pulled Naraku away. Now who do you think that is? (stupid question, I know)

Sesshomaru gave one of his infamous death-glares. If looks could kill, Naraku would have been dead about…three seconds ago. "You touch her ever again, I swear…you will wish you were never born. I'd leave if I were you right about now, before I decide to kill you." It was now the duel of the stares.

With a final growl, Naraku pulled out of Sesshomaru's grasp, and disappeared down the exit stairs. The other two looked in his direction a little longer, before actually deciding to move.

"Sesshomaru?" she said in a quiet voice. He turned and put his eyes on her. "I just wanted to thank you…for what you did back there." She whipped the blood off her mouth.

"Humph! It not like I care. Don't thank me."

"Yeah, yeah. You're all talk. Well I'll see you around."

"It wouldn't be wise to go home by yourself," said a familiar voice from the hallway. No other than Inutaishou. "If you'd like, you may stay at are place as long as you wish. We do have plenty of space."

How he knew all her problems, was a mystery on it's own. But it looks like she was going to spend the weekend at the Keiyoukai's place. It didn't really matter where she was though. Even though he may not have shown it, in one way or another, he cared. People sure have a weird way of showing it though…

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I really didn't want to leave you guys here. Honest. But that's how it is. I promise to update the day I get back! See you on the 21st of July!

O ya, even thogh I'm not here, would ya R&R?


	8. The Jade Tiger

****

AN: Hey! I'm back! Camp was…uh…camp-ish. It seems I've been slowing down on writing this fic…probably becausei've started a Mir/San one. Don't worry…I plan to finish this even if it kills me! It just seems it gets cornier. Oh well…just had a discussion with AO about that…not important. I will be shutting up now cuz I'm sure you want to read the rest.

****

Disclaimer: as always, don't own the characters…

__

Every now and then

When I'm all alone

I've been wishing you would call me on the telephone

Say you want me back

But you never do

I feel like such a fool

There's nothing I can do

I'm such a fool for you

-----------------------------------------

Chapter 8

The Jade Tiger

"Keh. Again? How many times a week can you eat that damn pork?" Inuyasha reluctantly took his fork and put the food in his mouth, after about five minutes of complaining. Rin had really gotten to see what a family dinner was like. It was quite entertaining.

"You shouldn't talk, baby," Kagome countered, "you eat that Ramen of yours everyday for the past eight years I've lived with you. You look more and more like a cup of instant food each day!"

"Now that's not true. Take it back," he glared, standing up.

"Make me," she glared back. I wonder if it ever occurred to this family; who were the bigger kids? Meiko and her brother, Kazen, or their parents, Inuyasha and Kagome. Everyone else was minding their own business, as if this was a common occurrence, which it probably was.

"Now listen here, you two," Inutaishou cleared his throat. Inuyasha sat across from Kagome. They were now both standing up, faces inches apart, both growling. "Ahem!" They snapped their heads in his direction, now glaring at the father. Inutaishou had definitely passed his look to both sons. And as for Kagome…well…she'd been around Inuyasha way too long. "Nevermind. Continue your bickering."

"I think we will," Inuyasha retorted. "Now where was I? Oh ya…take it back you stubborn wen…" unable to finish his favorite nickname for women, due to the food that was stuffed in his mouth, compliments of his wife.

"Now, now, baby. It's not polite to talk with your mouth full," she teased, pushing him back into his seat.

"Thanks for dinner. It was great," Rin said once she finished her meal. "I enjoyed the entertainment as well."

The mother, Lady Izayoi, laughed, "You're quite welcome. So now that you've seen what most meals are like here, what happens with your family?"

The smile disappeared off her face. Rin looked at he empty plate, and said nothing for a minute. "I…don't have family dinners. I have no cousins, aunts or uncles, brothers or sisters and my parents died a while back." A look of pain crossed her eyes, but that was normal when you talk about close people who've passed on.

"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't know…"

"Don't be sorry. That's alright. I've become used to being alone now."

"Dear, life's not worth living if you're alone."

"I know. After they died, I was somewhat alone. I only had friends left. But after I went away for school…I didn't know what kept me going. Why life was worth living. I guess it was that I hoped that someday…I'd have a family to belong to." Seeing that this conversation was going downhill fast, Kagome stood up.

"Well. Enough of that. Come on, I want to show you where you will spend the night," she said whisking Rin away. Meiko bounded after the two. The rest just stared in that particular direction, and Lady Izayoi followed. Let's see…that only left the men there. So it's true. No matter how well you know a woman, you never really know her. They all just sighed…except for Kazen, who stared with his usual two-year-old blank face.

"I take it that wasn't the ideal topic, was it?" asked Kagome softly as soon as the others were out of earshot.

"It's all the same…now anyway."

This was still heading in the wrong direction. A change of subject was needed, and pretty quickly too. An awkward silence befell them. Lucky there is always little kids to reduce the tension. "Mama. Where will Auntie Rin be sleeping tonight?"

"The room across from your uncle, why?"

"No reason. I just wanted to know. Hey…isn't that that room that uncle Sesshy tells me to stay away from?" she looked up at Kagome with those big chocolate eyes that she stole from her mother. So many questions.

"That's the one."

"Who did it belong to? Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"We'll talk about that later. And my goodness! Look at the time. Off to bed now. It's nine."

"But it's a Friday night," she complained. But it wasn't good to mess with Kagome. One stern look was all it took to send Meiko trudging back to her room, only about five doors down.

"Sorry about that…" Kagome said, opening the bedroom door, that would be Rin's for the next two nights. It was a fairly large room for the house (cuz to Rin it was huge) with long, slim windows. It was painted a brownish-red, which brought out the color on the antique furniture. The bed was an open canopy, with thin white lining. "Here it is. Now, I put one of my nightgowns out for you. It's on the bed. There are also some extra clothes for tomorrow and Sunday. Please do excuse me, I have to put the kids to bed. You can join us for some tea later if you want."

"No thanks. I wanted to take a shower, and besides, I'm really tiered." Kagome nodded her head and headed for the door. "One more thing," she added.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks, for all that you did for me."

"No big," she said walking out. So it was now just her and the room. Might as well explore a little bit. Over by the bed, Kagome had left a housecoat and the nightgown. Rin gave a small laugh. It looked like something out of the Victoria Secret catalogue or something like that. How could she wear something like this? Well, she was married, she did have two kids…okay. Bad images there. Now must clear images out of head.

She replaced the nightgown and thought a shower might clear her head of those…urg…thoughts. She stepped into the bathroom and locked the door. There was every necessity there. She got undressed and took her hair out of the bun. It was now at the middle of her back, a lot longer than when she was at school. She took a look into the mirror and sighed. There was a scar on her left shoulder, compliments of her father. She couldn't forget that day, not now, not ever. Again, maybe a shower would clear her head.

And the fifteen-minute shower did her well. She dried up quickly and put on the sorry excuse of a nightdress. She stepped out of the bathroom, and into the cooler air of the room. She looked at the clock on the nightstand; 10:00 flashed on its face. So what was there to do now? Where did Kagome say she put those extra clothes?

She looked in the closet, but other than a few old, dusty boxes, it was empty. Then maybe it was in the drawers. Sure enough, there they were. Hello? That was just the most common place to put them.

After sorting though some garments, she looked across the wooden dresser. It had some various items on it, most likely from its previous owner. Some rouge, perfume, nail polish and other cosmetics. There were also a variety of older pictures. One was a picture of a family of five. Two women, one who was Lazy Izayoi. The eldest man in the picture was definitely Inutaishou. The other two boys were a lot younger. They both had silver hair, and the youngest had two minuscule dog-ears on his head. No doubt it was a kid Inuyasha. That meant the other had to be Sesshomaru, with one difference; he was smiling. That meant… the other lady in the picture was his mother.

'I guess he smiled when she was still alive. I think…did she die? I assume so.' She replaced the picture in it's spot. As she slid her hand across the top of the dresser, a colorful box caught her eye. Curiosity getting the better of her for the millionth time in this story, she gently lifted it. Inside was a bunch of jewelry. Mostly necklaces. One that struck her was a silver chain that held a tiger, engraved out of jade. She put it on and admired herself for awhile. It was very pretty.

She walked over to the bed and lay down, staring at the ceiling for a few moments. Then slowly her eyelids got heavy. She drifted off into a peaceful slumber, completely forgetting to take the necklace off…

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"Daddy! Daddy, you're home!" the eight-year-old girl exclaimed. She bounded joyfully around the tall man, who couldn't exactly walk properly. He collapsed on the couch, throwing the empty glass bottle at the wall. It shattered into pieces.

"Where's your mother?" he asked in a ruff tone. The girl said nothing. "Are you deaf? I asked where is your damn mother?" he roared.

The girl shivered, "She's…she's…working late today, Daddy. Please don't be mad."

"That bitch is supposed to cook my dinner. And I'm not fun to mess with when I'm hungry," he spat on the dusty floor. "You need to learn how to cook. That way I'll rely on you instead of that useless mother of yours."

"But Daddy, last time I used the stove, I got burned. I don't want to do that again," she huffed, but her eyes became wide, when he took the knife from the counter top.

"I said, cook me dinner," he said throwing the knife harder than intentional. It struck the girl in the shoulder. She let out a loud wail. That's when the neibour looked into the window. He started screaming for a policeman, saying things like his killing the kid, which is what it looked like. A small child, with a knife sticking out of her shoulder, that her father had just removed and set back on the countertop. A cop came barging into the house at that moment. He instantly put the drunken father in handcuffs, and led him away.

The girl stared after him. "Daddy?" she said weakly before a whole bunch of people came to her aid. She passed out after that.

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Rin woke with a start. She hadn't dreamt that in years. She whipped the sweat off her forehead. Maybe all she needed was a glass of cold water. The room was completely dark now; it was 1 in the morning. She put on her housecoat and walked quietly out the door, as not to wake anyone. The hallway was dark and so were all the rooms. She tried to remember where the kitchen was located. And after a few wrong turns, she finally found it.

She didn't turn on the lights, just incase she pressed the wrong button and set the alarm off, or something. She felt her way over to the fridge and took out a glass, very carefully. A nice drink of water was all she needed, that's all. She was fine…right?

A small noise made her jump, and drop the glass in fright. It turns out it was something outside, but that didn't stop the glass from shattering on the floor. Oh crap…it was just great. Here she was, there are no lights on, and she's in her bare feet. A lot of good that is when there is glass all around you and that you can't see what you step on now.

Rin bent down, and brushed the floor. She felt some of the shards, and swiped them into her other hand. It would take her forever, at that rate, not knowing where the pieces were. After a minute, she was blinded by a light. Was she dead? No, it happened to be that someone turned on the kitchen light. Why was it always him?

"A little stuck there, Smart Cookie?" he asked leaning on the doorframe. How did he always manage to be there, at that time? Was there a radar "help! I'm in trouble" or something?

"Some help would be appreciated," she replied coolly, putting the glass in her hand on the counter. He took his sweet time in lending her a hand, cleaning the many sharp pieces off the floor. "Oww. Stupid glass," she frowned, looking at her thumb.

"Got a small sliver there, Smart Cookie?" he said flatly, putting the remaining shards in the trash. She nodded, picking at it, trying to remove the tiny fragment of glass. "You'll never get it out that way," he said to the woman who was now saying things about how glass is an object from hell. "Let me see that," he said, grabbing the injured hand. "Trust me, it will hurt a lot less like this." With that, he stuck his fang into the cut, and the shard of glass fell out.

She was frozen in place. She retracted her hand quickly and observed it. The demon saliva on her finger healed the small cut instantly. She stood up and looked him straight in the eye, "Uh, thanks. I guess that was less pain than it could have been."

She brushed the hair out of her face, revealing the jade tiger that hung from her neck. He took some time to stare at it. Memories crossed his mind. Painful memories of his late mother. That was her favorite. Forgetting that she was even there, he took the small carving in his palm. It had been so long…

Rin was now more than in a state of shock. But also confusion and…well…something else that really can't be described. You have to feel it to know what I'm talking about. She finally found her voice that was buried in her throat. "Are you…alright? I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to wear this. I'll take it off."

Sesshomaru snapped out of his thoughts. It did look like it belonged to Rin, just right there, hanging from her neck. But why? At that moment, she looked like Ayumi, his ever so beloved mother. Ever since she had passed…that was the last day he ever smiled. And it was unlikely he ever would.

They walked back down the dark hallway. Rin didn't know the exact time, but it was probably late. Before Sesshomaru entered his room, he said one final thing. "Keep it. But you have to promise to take care of it. Got it?" He didn't wait for an answer and went into his room.

"I got it, your highness." She smirked, hoping he heard her. She had wanted to say that forever!

And you know what else? He showed a gesture of kindness. I will say it again. Things never cease to amaze me. It was he, the emotionless male. The one who wouldn't give the prettiest female in the world the time of day. And here she came along. And everything changed. But for better or for worse?

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Ok, will not say anything else other than I would like it if you review…itz so nice 2 see reviews after a month…


	9. Naraku's Control Over Kagura: Part 1

AN: Wow…how long has it been since I updated?…um…let's not think about that. Anyway…I was on vacation again so it kinda made the update longer than expected. Sorry, I should have updated before I left. Now that that's out of the way…uh… two part chapter here…not all that important but I do talk about the West Side Story because I just saw the play when I wrote it…some pplz putting on a play for somethin…I dunno. Whatever…here's chapter 9!

Disclaimer: again…nada!

I can't take it

What am I waiting for?

My heart's still breakin

I miss you even more

And I can't fake it

The way I could before

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Chapter 9

Naraku's Control Over Kagura Part 1

One thing leads to another, and it always will. But that one thing, that brings 'another', isn't always as planed. That's what I learned, and that's what she learned as well. So take a very unlikely situation, a fight, for example (hint, hint). How many possible ways can you turn that into…well…I won't say. You'll just have to experience it yourself.

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The lights were extinguished, as the curtain rose. It was opening night of the West Side Story. And Kagome had landed the part of Anita, the best friend of the main character, Maria. Basically if you've never heard of the West Side Story, it has a Romeo and Juliet theme, except modified a bit. Of course, it was a Broadway play awhile back, but this was something that her drama group put together. Kagome wasn't seen until about the second scene. And she had done a great job on her solo.

Rin sat with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha and Inutaishou. The kids were at home; the play would have gone way past their bedtime. "That's my woman," Inuyasha kept saying, every time she sung, or did this crazy dance move. You could tell, that the other two men were getting annoyed, after the third time he'd said that. And it still wasn't even halfway through the thing.

It was a good play, she'd say that. But God, was she ever tired. She decided to shut her eyes for a bit, and listen solely to the music. Nice music…it was relaxing…

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She was back at home now. Or, at the Keiyoukai's house anyway. Rin hummed a tune from the play she was listening to earlier. She danced gracefully across her room and hope that Sesshomaru was watching. Because he always seemed to be there. Nope, not this time. She looked out her long window to find him in the garden, with Meiko. It was now Sunday morning, as the little girl bounced around him.

Rin laughed as she watched them through the glass. Sit was amusing to see Meiko dump a big armload of flowers in her uncle's arms. Being the nice uncle that he was, carried the wretched things without a word. So kind…

The birds flew at once…something was up. A loud bang was heard shortly after that. A shaded figure stepped out of the bushes. Time was frozen for a slight moment, and nothing moved, no one spoke. She saw him drop the flowers, and he fell towards the ground after them. The figure in the shadows held an unmistakable object in the light; a revolver.

It was the end. Rin could say nothing, and her limbs weren't responding. Someone gripped her shoulder, but she couldn't turn around. Nothing was working anymore…it was a nightmare in slow motion. Probably because it was…

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Her eyes shot open. It was still dark. And it clicked…it was all a dream. The gunshot was part of the play. Poor Tony, got shot by his rival. Violent times, violent times. "Are you okay?" asked Inuyasha. He had been the one who put his hand on her shoulder, in attempt to wake her up. "I can't believe you slept through that shot. It was so loud, I'm deaf now."

"Ya…I'm fine," Rin replied, rubbing her eyes. Maybe it was a good idea to stay awake for the rest of the play, which turned out to be not that much longer.

Afterwards, they all went to congratulate Kagome on her performance. And in a half an hour, they were out, and back home. For real this time. It was almost midnight, as they all retired to their rooms.

"Goodnight," they all said in unison, except for Sesshomaru. That was pushing it. He settled for a quick nod, and disappeared behind his door.

Rin silently shut the door behind her. She took off the jade tiger chain and set it on the nightstand. And instead of that skimpy night outfit, she'd found a big T-shirt and some baggy sweatpants. Much more comfortable, was her thoughts as she ran the brush slowly through her silky hair. Once satisfied, she crawled under the sheets, and tried to fall asleep. But no such luck.

It was hours…or it seemed like it anyway. I guess ten minutes can seem like an eternity if you stare at a dark ceiling without a blink. Whoever said that counting sheep makes you sleepy, needs to reconsider his/her theory. Cause it needs some adjusting. Maybe you had to be a farmer…or a shepherd.

But something was out of place. Just another one of those crazy feeling you get every once in awhile. It happens when all the crickets stop chirping, and all the cars are silent. When the moon is hidden by the rolling clouds, and the only sound around for miles it your own breathing. Ya…that weird sense that happens to be dead on every single time.

The silence was getting to her. It was driving the woman insane! "Something…break this damn quietness," pleaded Rin softly. And in minutes got her wish. A very loud wish. This loud noise was something, rather, someone breaking through the glass window of her room. If that didn't wake anyone up…there was a problem.

Like a bullet, Rin shot up out of bed, and hid behind it. "What the hell…?" was all she could say as the person rose to their feet; Kagura.

Kagura shook the glass off of her. She stared straight at Rin, who was still wondering about this whole situation. She held her fan fully open, which covered half of her face. The side that on it lay many black and blue marks. She was a victim of abuse…

"If you must know, this is not entirely my doing," stated Kagura. There was another one of those damn silences that was getting to be quite annoying at this point. "Naraku…has a certain control over me. I have little say in my actions when he is near. So I apologize in advance."

Rin nodded. "Tell me, what does he want with me?"

"I may be under his control, but still, he tells me nothing. Naraku doesn't trust me. But I don't know how to fight him…" she trailed off as her eyes started to glow a deeper red. "He calls…" she told her, sending a wind blade in Rin's direction.

"I hate this," Rin mumbled as she dove out of the way. It wouldn't have hit her anyway; the bed blocked it, but not without taking a beating. The large posts fell over and totally wrecked the rest of it.

Rin grabbed an old sword of the wall, and got out of the room, ASAP. She ran along the corridor, hoping that the kids wouldn't wake. But the truth was, some had better wake up, or else she was done for. "Stupid stairs," she muttered as the end of the hall was in sight. She'd never make it down in time. Either jump what looked like a billion feet, or slide down the railing. The second option sounded better.

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His hearing was even good in his sleep. What made him stir was the sound of shattering glass. 'That girl likes to break things, especially glass.' He chose to ignore it this time around. But something was different from last time. It was probably the fact that Rin seemed to be in conversation with someone else. And it couldn't have been more than a minute later when a loud noise was heard against the door. Sounded like the chopping of wood.

Inuyasha even though in a separate room, heard the same thing. He lifted his head at the glass breaking noise. Kagome moved a bit beside him. "What's up?" she yawned, still not fully awake. "It's so early," she complained falling back on to the pillow.

There was the sound of two pairs of footsteps out in the hall. And another crash. "Something is wrong. You stay here, I'm going to check it out."

In two quick strides he peered his head out the door. His brother had done the same. The hall looked a mess, and so did the guest room for that matter. Both of them quickly ran down the hall, and so it began.

Rin had managed to slice the fan into a few pieces. Kagura was currently fixing it using some weird energy thing. They both glanced up at the brothers. 'Thank God,' Rin inwardly sighed.

Inuyasha wasted no time in jumping down from where he was. "What do you want?" he growled, flexing his claws. Kagura, however, didn't answer. She was too preoccupied looking at Sesshomaru.

And Sesshomaru stared right back at her. He knew her from long, long ago. Seemed like an eternity though. "Hey you helping or what?" called Inuyasha. This caused him to brush the thoughts from his mind, and join his younger brother.

Kagome had also come in a hurry, bow and arrows slung over her shoulder. She dashed down the stairs as fast as she could without falling flat on her face. She had joined the others in a fighting stance.

"Kagome, leave with Rin. This woman is dangerous," growled Inuyasha. His ears flattened, he was certainly pissed.

"Hey, I can handle whatever you can. Human or demon," Kagome retorted as she spoke for both Rin and herself.

Kagura had finished repairing her broken fan, and wasted no time in using it. "Dance of the Dragon," she recited calmly as three tornado-like shapes shot from her weapon. Kagome had managed to dive out of the way, as well as Inuyasha.

"On second thought, I'm going," decided Kagome. "Come on, Rin. Leave the brutal stuff to the macho men."

Rin mentally laughed as she tried to make a comical situation out of this…err…fighting scene. "Don't need to tell me twice," she said running after her. A wind blade came out of nowhere and barely missed Rin. It had nicked the front of her foot, but that was no big. Or so we all thought. Putting her injured foot on the ground, it didn't seem to want and support her. She tumbled to the ground, plain and simple.

"Oi, move it. Stay there and you're gonna get yourself killed," shouted Inuyasha as he dodged another attack.

"I'd love to. If I could," she shot back angrily, taking a good look at the _minor _cut. Minor my ass. Blood oozed out rapidly, making her rather dizzy. "Damn this all…" She tore a part of her sleeve and wrapped it around her ankle.

Kagome rushed to her side, helping to control the amount of blood she was losing. It had slowed a bit, thankfully. "What's going on here?" called Inutaishou that had come from the opposite end of the mansion.

He caught a glance at the whole scene. Strange woman, fighting with sons. Guest injured with daughter in-law by her side, holding weapons. It didn't take a rocket science to put two and two together.

'No good. To many of them,' Kagura narrowed her eyes, and made her exit by breaking though another glass window and out of sight. She glanced back. 'Sesshomaru…' she disappeared into the night sky.

No one said anything for a moment, all still trying to comprehend the initial situation. "Well now that that's over," Inutaishou declared, "Kagome, why don't you make sure the children are alright. Inuyasha, you'll come with me to look at the damage. And Sesshomaru, I suggest you take our injured damsel to Jaken. I'm sure he'll treat her."

So that was that. Kagome and Inuyasha went back upstairs and Sesshomaru picked up Rin, and headed down a corridor that she'd never been down before. He waited until out of earshot of everyone until speaking, "You're turning into one of those useless anime girls now, do you know that? Always waiting for someone to save you."

Rin had a hatred to those anime girls, real or not. "I resent that. I didn't come crying for you to save me, did I? I can do this for myself." She tried to wiggle free from his arms, to no success.

"There is a difference between depending upon yourself and killing yourself trying. You can't depend on solely yourself for the course of life."

"Take you own advice," she muttered quietly. He caught it none the less. He opened his mouth to say something else, but cut off by the hand that covered his mouth. "Don't say anything, Dog-boy." She giggled at the nickname that Kagome had given Inuyasha a while back. He put on an annoyed look until they reached a small room.

It was a cramped little place, and it looked like the person who lived there, never ever left the room at all. "Jaken," Sesshomaru called once he shut the door. He lay the injured 'damsel' on a small futon. A small toad-like creature came busting out of no where.

"Milord, it has been so long since you've come down here. How thoughtful of you to visit this servant of yours. And who is this?" he asked pointing to Rin, "she is human, is she not, Master?"

"That has nothing to do with it. Take care of her wound, and please make it quick. It is fairly late already," Sesshomaru said impatiently.

The tiny servant gulped, "Yes…right away milord."

Rin, at first, was quite confused as to what was going on between Sesshomaru and the doctor named Jaken. How could anyone be so cruel to another? Even if he was a servant. I mean, what did he do wrong? She didn't have time to continue her trail of thoughts as a stinging came from her injured foot. But it was all over in a few minutes. "Well?" she asked weakly, "what's the damage?"

Jaken sort of 'humph'ed as he responded to her question. "It's a torn ligament. At the rate you humans heal, it should be fine in a few months. Luckily I had some old demon remedies. It should heal in a week or so."

Rin narrowed her eyes dangerously, "And there's something wrong with being human?" she didn't wait for an answer as she punched him on top of the head. She folded her arms, and a cross look was placed upon her features.

"You ungrateful wench. How dare you attempt to hurt a demon that is clearly superior to you? Milord, I hope that you can teach this wench some manners."

"You are not to call anyone a wench, Jaken." He said, hitting him on the head as well. "Now apologize."

Jaken mumbled an 'I'm sorry,' and handed Rin a pair of crutches. He went off on his own business after that.

"Ah! I can do it. I don't need you to wait on me hand and foot," she said as she limped past. Approaching those ever-familiar stairs, Sesshomaru saved the agony of climbing them and simply jumped to the next level. He landed gracefully and waited for her at the top. He smirked as he watched her attempt to climb the staircase.

"Having some trouble there, Smart Cookie?" he asked, already knowing the answer. She gave him the I-am-perfectly-fine look. He simply shrugged, "suit yourself." He slowly disappeared beyond her view.

She tried desperately to refrain from calling out his name, as she tried to scramble up the stairs. That is, until she couldn't contain it anymore. "Wait! I take it back! I need help." It took a few seconds before he peered around the corner.

"Don't expect favors like this all the time," he said carrying her up the stairs and down the bedroom corridors. He pushed open his door with a foot.

"Hey! I wanna go back to my room. If you'd be so kind as to take me there," she asked in a politer than usual tone.

"In case you failed to notice, you room is in shambles at this point," he said in his usual monotone voice. "So unless you'd prefer to sleep on splinters, I suggest you don't argue."

"Wait a minute! Your room? Hold it, hold it, hold it!" she protested, really trying especially hard to free herself. "My room is a mess, okay. I have to sleep somewhere else tonight, okay. And I happen to have to sleep in your room, no offense, not okay!"

Despite all her protests and struggling, he managed to sit her down in his bed. He pulled up a chair and sat next to her.

"This is **so **against my morals," she sighed. Definitely, she was stuck.

"Who do you think I am? Do you think I want to sit here as much as you do? I'm not going to screw you, if that's what you were thinking. I honestly think you'd have known that."

Rin blushed. "T-that's not what I meant. I meant…oh nevermind." She gave up and placed her head in her palms.

He was starting to wonder what she was up to after a few minutes. "Are you still awake?" he asked. When she didn't answer, he sat on the bed at her feet. "Are you still alive?"

She looked at him through her half-closed eyes. "Um hmm…just making sure I was (yawn) tired enough."

This made him arch his brow. "Oh, and why might that be?"

"…So I won't remember what I did when I wake up tomorrow." He was about to ask what she meant, but it wasn't necessary. She had quickly lifted her face to his. Nothing big or hardcore, just small, but meaningful. And in about seven seconds, her energy had run out, and she fell back onto the pillow, sound asleep.

It was hard to imagine, Sesshomaru, stunned. Well there's a first time for everything. He could feel his own body, moving closer by the second, even if he willed it not to. Once in very close proximity to her, he bought his lips lightly on her forehead, as if she was a child.

Walking to the opposite side of his king-sized bed, he stayed awake awhile longer.

I mean, this **is **Sesshomaru we're talking about. He couldn't (nor could I…even if I did write it) believe it. He had kissed a woman on his own will. Or somewhat. Either way, it made him wonder…

You can't depend on solely yourself for the course of life.

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aw…so much ooc-ness there…not to proud of myself, even if it is the longest chapter in this fic so far…ok, I really wanted to reply to some reviewers here…if you have questions and stuff, I'll try my best to answer them in the next chapter:

to **Trinity: **wow, I don't think I've ever gotten constructive criticism before. But I really do appreciate your honesty and don't worry, I don't take offense to easily. Not everyone can like my fic after all. I know itz not perfect and that just leaves me room to improve. And truthfully, if I was going to re-write some parts in this fic…I would use you advice. Thanks!

To **Neko Celes****: **again…my fic isn't perfect and I really don't revise my work very well. Glad you like it so far.

To: **g27: **happy now? Lol

To: **anime-obsessed :p :** ok…calm…

And everyone else thanks 4 reviewing….luv u all!


	10. Naraku's Control Over Kagura: Part 2

AN: um…yeah…sorry again for the long update. Been having a huge amount of writer's block. I'd say this is my first decent chapter in awhile…lolz, which tells you a lot. Anyhow, this is flashback chapter. _Italics_ = flashback. Got it, got it? Good! Ok, on with chapter.  
oh ya! 1 other thing..big thanks 2 AO 4 being my 100th reviewer! luv yaz! :D

I hate you but I love you

I cant stop thinkin of you

I hate you but I love you

I cant stop thinkin of you

I don't know what to do

I'm stuck on you

**Disclaimer: **again...own nada...cept the plot...  
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**Chapter 10**

**Naraku's Control Over Kagura Part 2**The morning sun shone through the long windows. It could be called the perfect scenery if you wish. The single bird chirping made Rin stir in her sleep.

What's going on? It didn't feel like the bed she woke up in yesterday. This was much more comfortable, and had a different scent to it. Hold on…her eyes shot open, quite quickly at that. But she was alone, no one opposite her. She remembered being attacked by Kagura, meeting the toad named Jaken, and Sesshomaru carrying her back to his room. That was it. Oh well, she must have fallen asleep right after.

She took a shower and dressed quickly. It was already ten in the morning. She put on the necklace, (that she would wear forever and ever) and carefully walked down the stairs, limping on her crutches. Only Lady Izayoi was left there, drinking her tea.

"Morning, dear," she smiled as Rin entered the room. "Everyone's out back. You should join them after breakfast."

"Thanks, I will," Rin smiled back, taking her plate of food from under a metal bowl-looking thing. Rich people and their fancy settings…

She later joined them outside. Well, it was actually most of them, because a certain demon was missing. Little did they know that he was watching, sitting in a nearby tree. His eyes were closed, as he was in deep thought…thoughts about last night. Kagura…

She was beaten, quite hard too. Her own father had done this. But what kind of surprise was that? He was always doing things like that. But she would have succeeded this time, she really would have. And then he had to be there…there to make life complicated.

Kagura ran her finger across her bruised cheek before sighing. How much more could she stand of this? She gazed longingly out the window…thoughts about last night. Sesshomaru…

The school bell rang and students poured out of the building. Among them, Inuyasha and Miroku. They were going to go play Miroku's latest video game. Final Fantasy, the best game of the year. They had asked Sesshomaru if he would join them, but apparently he had "other matters to attend to". Thirteen year old Inuyasha shrugged and quickly turned to wait at the bus stop.

'I wonder if she'll be here,' he thought, 'watch it be a prank. If it is…that wretch will get it…' He pushed the silver hair from his face, and chuckled slightly at the thought of spray painting her hair hot pink…

"And what are you so cheery about?" asked the very person he'd been waiting for. The most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. Her night-sky hair tied back in a bun, two feathers stuck out from the side. Her eyes matched her lips, both a blood red.

"Definitely nothing that involves you in it," he said sarcastically, as if it was an obvious statement. She punched him in the arm, with a fair amount of strength. "So what was it you wanted to ask me about?" he asked, leaning against the tree in the schoolyard.

She pressed her lips together, rethinking this whole thing. She quickly glanced at the Sadie Hawkins Dance poster that was behind Sesshomaru. "Uh…um…I…well…uh…" she stuttered, which was very unlike her.

"Tell you what," he interrupted, "I'll walk you home, and you decide if you're going to tell me." She was about to protest when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She felt like the luckiest girl alive…

He vowed, after that day, he'd never fall for another woman. Sure it was a small junior high fling, but that wasn't the only reason, oh no. One other thing as well…something that would change his life forever.

But something now, made him change slightly. In what direction was still not predicted yet. It might had started with Meiko. Stupid kid…it was a male gene in his family to feel enormous sympathy for crying women. That and children. Just like Inuyasha with Shippo. Yeah Shippo…the tiny kit who wasn't so tiny anymore. He was all grown up…or almost.

Getting back on track, he glanced down at where the rest of his family was. They all were smiling and having a good time. If only life was like that for him…but he knew it'd never be. Stupid night…why couldn't he just skip that day, like in a movie or something…?

"I really don't think you should have walked me home," said a nervous Kagura. She was glancing up and down the street for signs of her father. "My father doesn't particularly like me bringing home guys."

"Then I'll stay on his good side. I will leave, if you'd like."

She forced a nod. She really wanted him to stay.

He shrugged and placed a soft kiss on her cheek before walking away without a second glance, as if nothing happened.

She walked inside and touched her cheek. Is this what being on Cloud 9 felt like? Only one thing could spoil the moment, and it did. In the shadows, lurked her father, Naraku.

Kagura stepped into the dark house and put her books on the floor. She could sense her father was around…but where. The answer? Right behind her.

"Seeing someone without my knowledge, eh, Kagura?" he asked, knowing the answer. All she could do was swallow, hard. "I suggest you tell me. The consequences will be severe."

"No…I swear. He's just a friend. Please…" she whimpered as the back of his hand hit her face.

"I don't want you seeing that man ever again. Do I make myself clear?" he hissed in his most threatening voice.

"But…Father. I…need to see him again. I'm in l—" she didn't have time to finish her phrase. His claws stuck her face. This caused her to emit a pain-filled shriek.

"I forbid you to ever see him. Next time, you must say that you never can see him again because you hate him."

"I can't do that." Another hit across the face.

"You will. Besides, you will be transferring schools shortly," he said in a dark tone.

"But…!"

"YOU HATE HIM!" he roared.

This sent tears to roll down her cheeks, "I…hate…h-him," she recited bowing her head.

He gave a triumphant smirk, "That's better."

How everything turned out that night was just a plain coincidence. I guess it's one of those turns that end up for the worst. But all actions have results. And he was beginning to notice them. Things were changing… changing drastically.

Sesshomaru couldn't have been more than a block down the street from Kagura's house. A howling scream made him turn around. No doubt it was her. Whatever the cause, he was going to tear the person into pieces.

Running back, he caught the last few words through the door. "YOU HATE HIM!" followed by, "I…hate…h-him." Not bothering to wait a second longer, he burst through the door.

Inside was Kagura, crying in a corner. Standing above her was a man he'd never seen before. But it was easy to guess who he could be. "Kagura…" he said touching her shoulder.

Kagura stopped her tears for a minute. But Naraku wasn't about to forget what he told his daughter. He cleared his throat as a reminder. Fighting her will, she brushed his hand off her shoulder.

"What's wrong? Did this guy hurt you?" he asked, pulling her into a hug.

"No…" she whispered, pushing him back. "Don't…"

"Why not?"

"Because…" she glanced at Naraku who was grinning like a leprechaun. "Because…we can't see each other anymore. I…I…can't stand to be around…y-you." More tears fell from her eyes onto the dusty floor.

Those words were like a knife in the back. "I'm sorry…sorry for even bothering to care," he said, putting on a cross face and abruptly leaving the room.

She had tried to say something, but he didn't want to hear it. She had simply strung him along the entire time; played him for a fool. And that wasn't going to happen anytime ever again. His thoughts raced as he quickly walked home.

About a few walking minutes away, his hearing picked up a faint sound coming from the direction of his house. Something wasn't quite right.

Using his demon speed, he quickly raced back. Inuyasha and Miroku stood there; just staring blankly towards the house the approach of Sesshomaru was unnoticeable.

"What happened here?" he demanded, finally catching his brother and friend's attention. They looked between one another, deciding who would break the news. There was no need for that, as his father walked out the front doors.

"Son. We need to talk," he said gravely, placing his arm around Sesshomaru's shoulder.

"What is this? What happened?…" his voice was caught in his throat at the sight of his mother being carried off in a stretcher by three paramedics. "M-mother?" he said reaching for one of her hands. They were ice-cold. He knew what that meant; the great moon demoness was dead. (Demoness…that isn't a word but I like it.)

That night changed him forever. For a week he didn't leave the house, he talked to no one. After that, he showed no emotion. Never…never again could he allow someone to wriggle their way into his heart.

But something about that was now changing. It was all her cause. He snapped out of his flashback to stare in her direction. So innocent she was. Simply laughing and having fun with the rest of his family. And to think. If Kagura hadn't rejected him and his mother never died (you'll find out the cause of death later) he'd probably be there with them.

A round disk came fling his way; snapping him out of his thoughts and making him fall out of the tree. He landed gracefully on the ground, like it was nothing. "Will you please watch where you're aiming," he said handing the Frisbee back to Rin.

"I did. I was aiming for you. You've been up there ever since I got here. Nice way to greet your guests," she huffed, tossing her hair into his face. She flung the disk back at Kagome, who caught it without a problem. "Now if your done…come and stop being anti-social," she said dragging him by the arm.

"I prefer not," he stated walking back into the house.

"Was it something I said?" asked Rin to the others. They all shrugged and continued their game.

Where Sesshomaru had gone, was to collect his thoughts. Something was different, something against his morals. He was…falling for someone?  
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Well, it probably could have ended better. And I guess it was a bit rushed but OH WELL!!!! I'll just cut this note short and leave u pplz 2 review…please? Luv u guys and I'll probably update sooner… I dunno. Depends how school goes!


	11. Calm After the Storm

AN: Sorry! I know it's been something like…2 weeks but you won't believe how much work I've got piled on me! Plus, I've been on writers block with this fic…so I was kinda working on another one too…::dodges shoe thrown by AO:: but really, I'm trying! Totally drawing MAJOR blank ::dodges rocks thrown by AO…AO: remember, stupid!:: ok… on with chapter 11!

Disclaimer: stares at inu/sess poster sighs I wanna own them! Sesshomaru-sama! AO throws other shoe ok…back 2 reality…own nothing…unfortunately… :(

**g27: **ok...i finally remembered to respond to reviews! u must be like my most frequent reviewer thankies! ::hugs:: and to answer what does Naraku want...the answer will come in chapter 14 or 15...u'll just have to wait ;p

**overlyobsessive240: **i'm glad u think so makes me so happy to hear! and dont worry...even if my updates are slower than normal...i have no intension of stopping this fic

**Lynn-Minmay: **thanks for understanding :D

thatz it for now...

ah! I ran outa phrases for the song! O well…haven't decided what I'm gna put here instead…any ideas?

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Chapter 11

Calm After the Storm

Life has strange ways of making fun of you. The best day in the world, can turn into living hell, or vice versa. So it was one of those twisted plots of fate. Say kill me now I wanna die, but fate just laughs harder. Well I got news; fate sucks. Something the average person would say. Stupid fate…always gets the last word…

It happens to everyone. One of those days that it feels like there is no point in living. Yep, it was that day in Rin's mind. Ever since she woke up. Which so happens that she slept through her alarm. She was already 30 minutes late.

Her eyes shot open as she looked at the clock on the nightstand. "I'm late!" she yelled to no one in particular as she hobbled from her bed to the bathroom. Her leg injury made things run a lot slower. She quickly hopped down the stairs to find no one there. "Damn it, Sesshomaru. Now what am I supposed to do?" again talking to no one. She didn't have a car and it would be too far to walk.

"Need a lift?" asked Inuyasha who appeared from downstairs. "I had a conference call so I'm heading to work now." He was wearing black slacks and a white blouse that had the top two buttons left undone.

"You don't know how much of a lifesaver you are," she said relieved. The jade tiger pendant swung back and forth from around her neck as she made her way to Inuyasha's car. It seemed a very short ride before he stopped in front of the building. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she quickly breathed before limping inside.

"That woman reminds me so much of Kagome. No wonder they're best friends," Inuyasha said to himself before speeding onto the highway.

-------------------------

"Whoa! Rin, you're never late. What happened?" asked Sango as Rin walked furiously past her.

"Tell you in a sec," she mumbled, heading straight for Sesshomaru's office. She slammed the door behind her.

"A bit moody today, eh, Smart Cookie?" he spoke but his eyes never left the monitor.

"Why didn't you wake me up this morning?" she asked in a sharp tone.

"Do I look like your alarm clock?" he countered, making sure he chose those words right. It wasn't the greatest idea to say, 'what do I look like, your mother?' as we all know that both of them no longer had.

"You piss me off sometimes, really!" she retorted, giving up. He wasn't going to give her a straight answer; he never did. She stomped off and slumped into her chair.

"Rough weekend?" guessed Sango who had pulled her attention away from the computer. "You gonna tell me about it?" When Rin said nothing, she took it as a no. "Alright. Whatever."

It seemed to go all downhill from that point on. She had never been late in her life, not for anything. And it wasn't about to start today. Stupid…him! "Come on," she mumbled impatiently to the computer. After awhile, there was only a blank, black screen. "Oh my God…" she lets out a frustrated sigh.

"Something wrong with it?" asked Sango, who already knew the answer, but decided to ask anyway.

"Someone wiped my whole stupid memory clean. Piece of shit," she kicked it.

"I see," replied Sango who in truth had no clue what she was talking about. "Well you'll fix it. I think," she commented trying to be helpful. She hoped it was the right thing to stay.

----------------------------

"It finally works," Rin said rubbing her eyes. "If I look at this screen a second longer I'm going to be sick. I need lunch, you coming?" she turned to Sango. Who had given up on her work and started to apply a second coat of nail polish over her existing one.

"Ya…I'll meet you down there," she said waving her hand so it would dry faster.

She rode the elevator with a bunch of other people to the third floor where the cafeteria was located. It was crowded with workers. Some talking things back to their offices with them, but most sat and chatted amongst themselves. Sango joined her shortly in line. They got some sandwiches and a drink. They decided to eat there for a change. Only a few spots remained. They sat across from each other.

"Oops, we forgot straws. I'll get some," Rin offered standing up just after she had been seated. Something on her chair caught hold of her pants. It was a wad of gum. "Eww. What the hell?" she whined in a disgusted face as she slowly pealed it off. Good thing she hadn't sat there longer. She stomped off to the garbage can.

Sango decided not to comment. When she was mad, it was best to leave her.

"I hate today," she grumbled, handing the straw to Sango.

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It seemed as if the whole top floor was doing the same project. Something that no one knew exactly what it was but was doing their work anyway.

"I don't get this!" complained Sango who was making a dramatic scene by slowly slipping off her chair. She sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor, with a pout on her features.

"I'm almost done. Stupid thing, save darn it!" she said waiting for it to finish. A soft rumble could be heard, then…everything went black. When I say everything, I mean everything. The computers, the lights, the digital clocks…you get it.

Everyone groaned at the loss of power. Rin glared through the dark at her monitor. Sesshomaru came out of his office and told everyone that they may leave, due to the loss of power. It was useless to work on the project without access to the computer.

Once everyone had left, Rin stood up and yelled to no one, "This whole fucking day is screwed!" And let out a frustrated kick to the computer. "I'm so out of here."

"Please, Smart Cookie. I don't need to hear your profanities," said Sesshomaru walking out of his office. "You are still expected at my place later, are you not?"

"I know, I know. But I gota get my stuff from home first."

"Suit yourself. I'll pick you up in about two hours," he said simply before disappearing into who knows where.

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Rin held her briefcase over her head to act as an umbrella. She really should have checked the weather this morning. Well she would have…if SOMEONE would have woken her up on time…

She reached the intersection of her building. (When I say building, I really mean townhouse. You get it…) A bunch of people were standing outside. One of the children who lived there was sobbing into her mother's clothes. Others were talking amongst each other with worried faces. Rin didn't know exactly what was going on.

"Excuse me, ma'am. But do you happen to live here?" asked a man in a thick brown and orange trench coat. He looked kind of like…no…it couldn't be…could it? Yes, there was no mistaking it, he was a firefighter.

"Uh, yes. What's wrong?" she asked, panic rising in her voice.

"You see, at around 2 o'clock this afternoon, we got a call saying that there was a small fire on Fifth Avenue. When we got here, it had spread, and the rain did nothing, as it was a grease fire. All the houses are damaged, but the fire insurance should cover it…"

He explained the rest to her and then went off to deal with another owner of the houses. Salt slightly stung her eyes, as she fell to her knees. The whole day was a disaster from the start. From waking up late, to the blank hard drive, to the gum, to the power failure, to her house burning down due to a careless neighbor who had the bright idea to leave a frying pan with oil in it on the stupid stove!

"This is brilliant," she mumbled, silently crying into her hands. The rain poured down hard, soaking her to the bone, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. It was a world without meaning. And little by little, everything around her disappeared. First it was the many cars that filled the street. Next it was the shops and streets. Then the townhouses. After awhile, the people around her slowly faded into inky blackness. And the rain stopped pounding too. Not a sound was heard. She was alone in a world that no one could penetrate.

But an image formed in front of her. She peered through her hands. It was a young child sitting on the couch, like she was lost in thought.

'Hmm. It's late I wonder when Mommy is going to come home with Daddy. Truly, I don't see why she had to go and bail him out all of a sudden. He's been there for two years and had only a few months left. What's the big rush anyway?' mused the now 10 year-old raven hair girl.

She gazed out the window again. The rain made the vision foggy. It was impossible to see what was coming. 'Jeez, I don't know why Mommy left me here. I could of come too…'

A loud phone ring cut short her thoughts. "Is there an adult home, miss?" the deep voice on the line asked.

-No, they aren't here right now.

-Are you the daughter then?

-Yes, I am.

-I have some upsetting news…he went on saying how they're car got hit by a truck and slipped on the highway into a ditch. He went on about how a social worker was going to come her house shortly to discuss the matter.

She replaced the receiver and slumped back in the couch. First it was silence, and then it was total sobbing.

Rin tried to reach out to her, but her limbs wouldn't move. She tried to yell out, but her throat was paralyzed. She knew who the little girl was. Afterall, she had lived through it. After that, she lived with her grandmother, who never really paid attention to Rin. She was her father's mother, and no one on her father's side cared for her very much. She was sixteen when her last living relative died, so she was allowed to live on her own. So she had to stay strong in school and get a job. Her parents left barely anything, because it cost a fortune to bail her stupid dad out of jail because he couldn't wait another six months.

Rin sobbed harder. No matter how angry she was at him, for forcing her mother to get him that rainy day and that truck to hit their car, he was her father. She couldn't truly hate him. She wanted it to be like most families, when their parents really loved them.

"I hate my life," she sobbed alone in the darkness of wherever she was. The image was now gone, and nothing took it's place.

But something managed to slowly take her back to reality. It was a hand that rested on her shoulder; she felt it this time. The rain came back and so did the people and cars in a blink of an eye. She immediately stopped crying, and turned to face whoever it was. She tried to speak, but her voice was still not functioning.

"You were really spacing out there, Smart Cookie," he said, helping her to her feet. "I know I'm early, and it's a good thing too. You were going to catch hypothermia at that rate."

"Well you're no better, you're soaked too," she pointed out.

"I have more stamina than you do."

"Demon, human. What's the difference?" she asked more to herself, turning her head away and let more silent tears fall from her eyes. "Nothing matters anymore."

Sesshomaru sighed, "If nothing matters anymore, then you're not the person I thought you were." This caught her attention slightly. "Just because of one horrid day, you're ready to end your life. If I think I know you, then put it behind you and keep going."

"But…this place. It's the only memory of my parents I have left. You can't possibly know how that feels."

"That isn't true. I lost my mother too," he said reluctantly. He preferred to remain silent about his late mother. They were silent for the next few minutes, avoiding each other's gaze.

He did have a point. He'd told her briefly once. "I…I…"

He took his thumb and dried the tears from her face. But more just replaced them. "Let's go home," he said softly.

Rin nodded in agreement as she wrapped her arms around him. He slowly too, did the same 

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SO: AH! What a horrible ending! ::goes into corner and fumes::

AO: u really need to learn how to COMPLIMENT yourself! Jeez…u is always such a downer! Ok! I'm taking over these notes! What my friend would like to say if she was to busy being mad at herself (for some unknown reason) is I would like u pplz to review! It would make her day! ::sings:: turn that frown, upside down! ::talks:: ahem…that and she hopes to get next chapter up quicker, or so she says…


	12. Step 3: Acceptance

**AN: **well it was a shorter wait then last time...wasn't it? Hmm...anyway, get ready for a stream of pointless chapters. Yup, not something I'm very proud of but really, 12-14 and truly pointless and just serve as fillers, I think it's cuz I was bored... (sighs)

On a completely different note, I'm posting a new story for all you Mir/San lovers out there and it would mean a lot if you looked at that sometime:)

**just random responses**: **anime-obsessed:p**: sometimes I wonder if you will ever reread my chapters! And another thing, stop trying to kill me! **g27**: thanks for the song suggestion, I'm going to use it! **Rein Rin**: um...hello?...lolz! **Ilovecake2**: actually u read it at camp...u just don't remember and thatz too bad 4 u!:P **gum drop**: u know...just the chapter u didn't review would have been fine. Not that I'm complaining, a review is a review! **KEI**: 1. I plan to stay in school and go to university! 2. I DO NOT smoke! (y did u put those 2 in???) and 3. I plan to keep writing! So don't worry!

I'm With You 

_By: Avril Lavigne_

_I'm Standing on a bridge  
I'm waitin in the dark  
I thought that you'd be here by now  
Theres nothing but the rain  
No footsteps on the ground  
I'm listening but theres no sound_

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

**Chapter 12**

**Step 3: Acceptance**

One of the many rules I follow is that there are several steps to realize you're infatuated with someone. First is teasing. Ah, how I love this one. Usually I notice it's the guy who does this instead of the girl, but there are exceptions to every rule.

Next there's denial. As someone once told me, 'Denial' is not a river in Egypt. It took some time for me to make sense of that. Either way, you try and forget the person, thinking of him/her as a nuisance rather than letting it go.

Now where we are. Step 3: acceptance. There comes a time to just give up with the denial process. Acceptance is a broad word, however. And in this situation, it might seem a bit awkward, but it'll come around eventually.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

The road was dimly lit, as the only sound was the hum of the car engine. It normally would have been light, if the thick, stormy clouds hadn't loomed overhead. Sesshomaru couldn't help but glance over to the girl on his left. (In Japan, the driver is on the right instead of the North American left. This has always confused me).

She was totally out of it. But she had been through a lot and she was now a total wreck. Her hair was soaked, and obeyed the laws of gravity to weigh down her head. Her clothes were drenched as well. It was like they were glued to her body. Every time she tried to peel it off, it stuck back onto her. After a little effort, she chuckled slightly and gave up.

They stepped into the now familiar mansion in which the Keiyoukai family lived. Rin wasn't expected for another hour or so. And she knew for sure that they'd ask questions, which, she wasn't in the mood to answer right now.

"I take it you'd rather not tell anyone you're here," he said, as if reading her thoughts exactly.

"Yeah, I'm not in a good mood now."

"Alright," he stated, picking her up. His actions were questionable, but she didn't have time to ask them. Using his great demon speed, in the blink of an eye, they were in his room. He placed her back on the ground. "Change into this," he said tossing her the tank top and sweats that she had worn earlier that week. "I don't need you getting sick on me. Father will be very pleased if that happens," he said sarcastically sitting down in a chair.

She spent a good fifteen minutes in the bathroom, mostly drying her hair, and washing her wet clothes. When she was done, she left the garments over the shower curtain rack to dry.

She walked over to one of the walls, that was actually a big bookshelf of who-knows-what. She scanned the titles on she sides off them, looking for anything of interest.

"See anything?" he casually asked her, standing behind her. She took no notice.

"Well, I don't know. I wouldn't be able to tell what's good or not. I suck at everything I do," she sighed, staring at the ground.

"You know that's bullshit. You're the brightest female I know. Besides, a girl as pretty as you shouldn't say that. It lowers your self-esteem."

She laughed. "Did you just call me good looking? Sesshomaru, joking? That doesn't sound right."

He leaned up right next to her ear. "Who said I was joking," he said in a tone she'd never heard him use before.

She stopped her laughter and turned around. Her breath was caught in her throat, and she couldn't move either. He was just...there. And she wouldn't have wanted it any other way. And it looked as if, that their faces moved little by little, very close to one another.

'Oh my God! Is he...going to kiss me?!' she thought as the breath from his mouth could be felt on hers.

At a very close proximity to each other, his ear twitched at a sound that was slowly approaching. He immediately turned away from her and disappeared out of the room in the blink of an eye.

She was frozen for a minute before shaking her head. "That was so totally a dream," she stated, walking over to the bed. "And it was a good dream to," she said sleepily as her eyelids dropped.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Kagome shook Rin until she woke. She stared up at her with sleepy eyes and groaned at being disturbed from her slumber.

"Hey, how come you never told me you were here?" Kagome asked.

Rin shut her eyes in response. Was Kagome the one who made her nice dream come to an end? But it felt so real...she could still feel the heat on her lips.

"We have company, you know. Sango and Miroku are here. Had I known you were here too, I would have come to get you earlier," she said dragging Rin out of the room.

"Hmm? Oh...yeah...sure," she replied still in her own world.

Sesshomaru sat in the lounge. He was oblivious to the fact that Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku were there as well. He picked up a random book on the coffee table and opened it to a random page. This way, no one would question what he was doing. 'What in the world was I thinking? Nevermind thinking, what was I doing?' he thought, 'that woman has only been a nuisance in my life. She went against my morals. It wasn't intended on this.' But secretly, he knew he had no choice. And the more time passed, the more time he'd rather spend with her. It was the same feeling Kagura gave him so very long ago.

Kagome and Rin came down a short while later. They took no notice of him and went straight to chatting away with the others. It looked as if she didn't even know it happened. Usually she would have said something...or at least look like it bothered her. But nothing. She was smiling and talking happily with her friends. It made him wonder...what did she take it for? Did she think it was a dream or something? (He doesn't know how right he is, lol) He looked back at his book, but not reading the words. He was listening to their conversations.

"My, my, sweet Rin, aren't we looking as beautiful as ever today," Miroku complimented, flashing her a smile. Inuyasha rolled his eyes; it always began like this.

Rin laughed at his flattery and politeness. "Goodness, Miroku. How come I never see you compliment your own wife? Always with other women...even in marriage..." she sighed shaking her head.

"Yes, how come I never receive comments like that?" pouted Sango.

"Well, I've flattered you so many times the past I don't know how many years, it's become old," he said as a matter-of-factly like it was common sense.

"Oh, so now I'm to old for you? I've carried your child and now I'm just cast aside like a rag doll?"

"Possibly."

"Is that so? Well maybe we should just call the whole eight years off then. I'm sure other men would love me more than you," she steamed, but with an over-dramatic tone.

Miroku took that opportunity to counter. "Who said I can't find a woman? I have one right here," he joked, drawing Rin close by around the waist. Everyone was laughing along with the melodramatic scene. You'd find that in about thirty seconds, they were back together.

Along when they were enjoying themselves, Inuyasha sensed a strange aura. It was one of those things that humans couldn't sense unless it was terribly strong. He looked around the room to see where it was coming from, but the only other person was his brother, and it definitely wasn't from him.

"Rin, be my wife," Miroku joked getting down on one knee. Everyone else laughed but Sango who just 'humph'ed.

The strange aura that Inuyasha had felt before had disappeared. Instead, it was replaced by a murderous aura. And his left ear twitched slightly at a faint, yet distinct sound. A soft growl. Oh yes, now it was definitely his brother, for some reason beyond his knowledge. Whatever the reason, it wasn't good news for Miroku. He knew very well that dog demon were very possessive of their territory. He made a mental note to tell his friend later.

"After eight years you're about to marry another girl in two minutes. I never thought you could sink that low," Sango fumed turning her back to the group.

"Aww, come on, darling Sango. No one could ever replace you," he said placing his arms around her waist.

"Oh really," she challenged, "prove it."

He didn't need to be told twice before drawing her into a firm kiss. She eagerly responded by placing her hands around his neck, pulling him deeper. "Enough proof for you?" he asked sweetly.

"Plenty. But...oh my gosh! If we don't leave now we'll miss the movie!"

Kagome clamped her hands over her mouth, "Shoot! I forgot about that. And I don't have a babysitter for Meiko and Kazen. Crap..."

Rin placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder, "Don't worry about that. I'll take care of them. Have a good time."

"You are such a lifesaver!" Kagome hugged Rin. "All you have to do is put Kazen and Meiko to bed. They'll cooperate. I know it." The four of them quickly rushed out as to make it to the seven thirty show.

Rin walked briskly out of the room, not taking the slightest notice of Sesshomaru. He still found it odd that she hadn't said anything.

Putting Kazen to bed was easy. Kagome was right. In a matter of ten minutes, he was asleep. Rin slowly shut the door and continued down the hall where Meiko's room was. Before she entered, someone grabbed her hand.

"Hello," she told him, "what did I do now?"

"What did you think it was?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

She raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me? What was?"

"You thought it was a dream?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she said in a frustrated sigh as he wouldn't give her a straight answer. He let go of her hand and walked into his room. "I don't get him," she said to no one as she entered Meiko's room.

She was jumping around on the bed and immediately stopped when Rin entered her room. "Yay! Auntie Rin is my babysitter! What can we do?"

"Hey! Calm down. It's time for bed, now relax and I'll tuck you in." she gave Meiko a warm smile when she obeyed her orders.

"Um...Auntie Rin? Can I ask you something?" she said in a quiet voice.

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"Well...how do you know that you like someone?"

The question surprised Rin a bit. She certainly wasn't thinking about love when she was Meiko's age. That was probably the last thing on her mind. "Uh...well, whenever you're around that person, you feel happy. And when they speak to you, you feel like drowning in the tone of their voice. Those are some signs."

Meiko was listening attentively. It had been the most serious face she'd ever seen. But to no ones notice, someone else was listening to. He had his back against the wall and was sitting on the floor.

"And how do you know he likes you back?" was Meiko's second question.

"Well, I don't know really. Maybe he has a different way of looking at you, smiling at you." She chuckled, "maybe he'll tease you and call you names..." her list went on for another minute or so; she was in her own little world.

"Thanks," Meiko said interrupting her rant. Rin smiled. "You know, you would be a good mother. How come you don't have kids?"

Again she smiled. "Probably because I haven't found the right person to have children with."

"But can't you have kids on your own? Because Yuki doesn't have a father and her mom said she never did. So how come Yuki's mom has kids but she never married?" Meiko's head buzzed with questions.

Rin decided not to teach her the elements of sex-Ed just yet. "It's Ask me again when your grade eight health test comes up."

Meiko sighed, "Alright. But there probably is someone who you'd like to have kids with...right?"

"Let's get off the topic of children, shall we?"

"Okay, fine. I'll say it again. There must be someone you like."

Rin smiled, "Well everyone likes someone at one point or another."

Now Meiko was getting somewhere. "Well who do you like?"

"Um...he's handsome, strong, kind, gentle and knows how to capture a girls heart," she replied staring off into space once again.

"You have just described to me a quarter of the male population. Are you going to give me a firm answer?" Rin shrugged with a coy grin. "Come on...tell me!" And it clicked, how could she have been so blind? For she'd known the answer for quite some while. "It's Uncle Sesshy, isn't it?"

This had gotten his attention from outside the room. Maybe Meiko could get something out of her. He needed to verify something.

Rin was taken aback at her accuracy. She decided that trying to worm her way out of it might work. "Tell me, is it right for a girl to like her boss?"

Meiko rolled her eyes, "Who cares? Now do you, or do you not?"

"What does it look like to you?"

She thought hard about how to answer that, remembering the advice that Rin had given her. "I think you do. But...I also think you're in love with him."

Rin raised an eyebrow (again). "Oh, don't say love. It's a very strong word. You can only be in love if you want to spend the rest of your life together with that person. If you feel 'in love' I call that infatuated."

"So you admit it then, you like him. Oh come on, you can tell me. I'll keep a secret, promise!" she sounded like she was begging. She looked up at Rin with the biggest puppy-eyes.

Rin sighed in defeat. "I may like him, yet I may hate him. No, I'm not in love. But you know something, I'm probably infatuated."

It was all he needed to hear before disappearing back into his room.

"Ha! I knew it!"

"Yeah, yeah, go to bed," Rin said turning off the light. "And remember, not a word!"

"Umhmm!" she said happily with a yawn.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

omg! How much ooc-ness was THAT?! Ah! Don't answer that!

AO: does this ALWAYS have to happen now? Jeez, and u think I'm pathetic.

SO: hey! Well I can't help it when I reread chapters I wrote like...5 months ago and then hate it!

AO: so rewrite them then!  
SO: ah...too lazy...

AO: so there u go...

SO: (sighs) anyway, it would mean soooooooo much if you reviewed! Thankies! :D


	13. Confidential Confessions

SO: u know, I just remembered something about this chapter. I hate it. I was freaking out and... (rants)  
AO: okay! (pushes SO out of the way) I'll take over ur ANs, again! Well I don't really think she wants to say much...other than she'd feel better when there was no OOC-ness in her chapters...

SO: ah...(whines)

AO: she said that well it's about to get a little...um...weird-ish cuz...well I won't tell u...just read her chapter and the usual.

_Isn't anyone tryin to find me?  
Won't somebody come take me home  
It's a damn cold night  
Trying to figure out this life  
Wont you take me by the hand  
take me somewhere new  
I dont know who you are  
but I... I'm with you_

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

**Chapter 13**

**Confidential Confessions**

When Rin's eyes fluttered open, the light barely shone through the curtains draped over the long windows. Only, it wasn't warm when she woke up. It was damn hot! She almost had beads of sweat rolling down her face. She turned her head to what it was. She had rolled over during the night so that she was glued right beside him; Sesshomaru that is.

He stirred slightly when Rin moved her head. She closed her eyes and relaxed her breathing just as he had taught her before, to fake that she was sleeping. And it worked too.

Sesshomaru turned to the girl sleeping next to him. If it was him nature to smile, he would have. Even when he got up for a shower, Rin stayed still, like she was really asleep. After a few minutes, he came out and kneeled next to her on the bed. He brushed her hair away from her still figure. His hands ran through her silky hair. It may have been unexpected, and not something you would except to happen. He bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Rin tired her hardest to keep her breathing steady, though it was hard. Her heart raced and she prayed he wouldn't notice.

He retracted his head and brushed his hand across her pale cheek. With one last glance, he got up and shut the door with a soft thud.

She made sure to wait a minute until he couldn't pick up a sound from his demon sense of hearing. Rin shot up and clamped her hands over her mouth. The color on her face was a cherry red. 'What the hell was that about? I thought he was suppose to live without women. Stupid twists of fate.' (corny much?...)She got dressed and headed down to the garden, totally skipping breakfast. She needed a quiet place to think. It was hard, but Rin managed to climb up a willow tree. 'How does he climb the so easily?' she wondered. The tree hid her from view of anyone. So she shut her eyes and thought.

'What is up with this? First he's a bastard and hates everything about me, including my name. Next he's kissing me while I'm asleep. How weird can he get? I don't know what to think anymore.'

'I still remember the day I met him. It was back in my first year in High school. We all gathered in the cafeteria to pick up our schedules. I accidentally bumped into him in the line. He wasn't exactly friendly to me, but I wasn't really listening. Those golden eyes entranced me. He asked me if there was something wrong with his face, because I kept staring. Ya, my first moment with him was totally a disaster.

'My next important date was grad night. Sango and me came rather late, and ended up sitting on the other end of the room from every one of our friends. The music really sucked. The only part of the night that was good was picture taking. Ah, our teacher going around taking pictures from random peoples cameras. Anyway, he seriously sat in a corner all night. I was so close to asking him to dance with me. Yet, I chickened out as always. And then we parted never to see each other again. I was definitely wrong on that.

'And I guess everything went from when I met Sango at that meeting I don't know how many months ago. I didn't believe how much he didn't change when I met him again. Still the same guy I remembered, a loner, yet looking good all at the same process. And fate chose me to like him as the other hundred and fifty girls in the school.

'And now he comes and mixes my damn emotions. I...I don't know what to think anymore. Meiko was wrong; it's not alright for an employee to be infatuated with her boss. It's almost wrong. But... I can't help it. I've always liked him. I'll always like him. It's not right for me to like him. So there's only one solution. Like nine years ago I can never see him again. I'm running from my problems like a coward but I don't care. I've got to get away.'

It was now noon and Rin climbed slowly back down the tree and slipped into the house. Being as quiet as possible, she walked upstairs and shut the door of 'their' room. No one seemed to be home on this Saturday, which was a good thing if she was going to leave. She packed whatever she had in her briefcase and reached for the doorknob. Only it turned before she reached it.

Sesshomaru entered and stared at her like everything was normal. "So you're up. I didn't think you would sleep that long. There's food on the table if you please."

She tired to walk past him, not answering straight in the eye. "Save it. I'm outa here."

"Hold it," he said grabbing her wrist, "Where are you going?"

"Away. Away from here."

"Where exactly?"

"I don't know. Sango's place or something. Just away. And why the hell do you care anyway?" she spat angrily.

He picked her up with no problem at all and set her down in the middle of the room. "I'm not letting you go until I know where. I don't want that psychopath out to get you again." He spoke with a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Oh, so look who suddenly cares. Just a few months ago you couldn't give a shit about me. Now you're concerned that Naraku will come and rape me again?" she forgot that she was talking that her boss and totally started bitching now.

"Do you realize who you're talking to? Don't use that tone with me. And how did you come to the conclusion that I hate you? Maybe at one point but..."

"At that stupid reunion you couldn't care less about me!" she interrupted, "I'm sick and tired of being here; of being around you. That's the reason I'm leaving. Besides, you said—"

"What I said was bullshit!" he said furiously to her face.

There was silence in the room for what seemed like ages. Rin finally spoke up, losing the rage in her voice. "W-what?" she stuttered as she was taken aback. It may have been his choice of words or the fact that what he told her before was a lie.

"You heard me. Maybe at the time I meant it, but now that's bullshit," he repeated in a quieter tone.

"I know that but...I just...I..." she was lost for words which was very unlike her.

He cupped her face in his hands. "You're still got your mind on this morning. It's troubling you. But you weren't supposed to be awake."

Rin placed her hands around his wrists. "You knew?"

No, not until your heart rate went trough the roof." She blushed; remembering that she'd almost fooled him. "Not that I really care. It's better you found out that way."

"Found out what?"

He ignored her question; "You were just another one of them. Someone I ignored. But everyday you were there, and at first you proved valuable to the company. Then my family started liking you. And next...I realized I didn't hate you."

"That's nice to know..." she remarked.

"Soon you were here every minute of my life now. You practically live in my house. And... it was the same thing with Kagura."

"What? You knew her?"

"She was my girlfriend in middle school. But none of that matters now."

Her heart thumped hard and fast as his eyes softened at the sight of her pinkish face. "Then, what does matter?" she asked reluctantly, almost afraid to hear the reply.

"For once, I don't really know. But..." he trailed off.

"But?"

He waited a bit before answering. "But...it would be nice if you would stay."

Rin's eye's become glossy. "So...you...want me to stay? Does that mean that y-" her eyes widened.

He bent down and placed his lips on hers. She was in shock for a split second, but she didn't let that get the better of her. She removed her hands from his wrists and clamped them around his neck. But still had that weird feeling that this was wrong.

She shoved him away, but with a little force. Partially because she thought it was wrong, other because her newly healed leg was giving out. "Stop. This is wrong."

"I heard you and Meiko talking yesterday," he said as if not hearing her previous comment.

"Well what she said was wrong. It's not right for an employee to like her boss." Rin said avoiding his eyes. Her heart told her to take back that comment. She finally got who she wanted, and was now throwing it away.

He drew her into his chest. "Listen here. You are employee to no one and I am not the boss of you. Are we clear on that?"

For the first time today she smiled, "Whatever, 'your highness'."

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

SO: ahem...anyways...um... (goes into corner)

AO: (sighs) ya umhmm...will I have to go through this everytime now? Okay, she told me over msn... yes she knows it's a stupid chapter. Well it was filled with ooc-ness and yes um...I think thatz it!

SO: ah...

AO: oh ya! And that she didn't read this chapter over cuz she wanted to post it cuz shes going on a trip 2mora and (glares) leaving me 2 die at school! Not the point...R&R! wow...I havent said that in awhile,... hehehe! I guess I should work on more writing then! :P


	14. My Life With Him

Well it's been two weeks, and really I've had no creativity in me -.- so this extremely short chapter is all I could come up with. Sad, I know, but it's a chapter. As well, this isn't much of an ooc chapter as it is just pointless. I really needed a chapter or two just to make the time pass (resulting in pointlessness!)

AO: stop putting yourself down! Omg! U take things WAY 2 seriously!

SO: hey! I can't help it! I'm sick okay? Anyway, the only real part to the plot is the last bit with Kagura and Naraku (everyone stop bugging me...you'll find out this chapter, or most of it anyway)

**Random review responses: This Rin: **haha...I'll always plan 2 update. And bad things already happen...so what does it matter? :P **Ilovecak2: **hey, I can't help it when I say I've got writters block! When I do, I do! So just deal with it. I know u will anyway. **g27: **the answer to your first question is no. he attempted to, but attempted and did are 2 different things. And your other question, this is the chapter :) **maiyuka**: haha...took me some time to figure those words out 2. Ooc means "out-of-character" and oc basically is a character that doesn't belong to the show. Someone u make up basically. Hope that helped! **Anime-obsessed:P: **I'll say to a thousand times...u really need 2 read over my chapters...and please stop the randomness! It drives me insane! .

Okay, enough with that. On with chapter!

_im looking for a place_  
_searching for a face  
is anybody here i know  
cause nothings going right  
and everythigns a mess  
and no one likes to be alone_

**Disclaimer: **okay, I don't think I've written one in awhile. Just refer back to other chapters...

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

**Chapter 14 **

**My Life With Him**

It was pure bliss. They were sitting on a log, alone in a forest. You could see the sun disappearing under the lake water. The only sound was the crackle of the fire, as he placed his arm around her shoulder. If only time would stop, and leave them there forever.

Unfortunately, that was Rin's alternate reality. Life can't be **that **perfect, right? So back to normal times.

Minus the forest and log, minus the sunset, minus the lake, minus the fire. The only thing that was left was the arm around the shoulder. No one was home yet, as they'd all gone for a 'family outing' God-knows-where.

He hadn't told her, but she could tell that this particular relationship had to be kept secret. So this is the tale of that secret life.

They both talked about it. What would someone say if he or she knew? What would they think? What would they say? Well, may no one ever see the day, that the great Sesshomaru, ever 'in love' with another.

After settling things, she just cuddled in his arms. "I don't remember the last time I've been this happy," she smiled, feeling the warmth of his body.

He said nothing for awhile, taking in her scent. "They're home," he said softly.

Inuyasha couldn't wait. He wanted to see if anything had happened between his brother and his houseguest. He knew very well that it was only a matter of time until they would realize their feelings for each other. Even his emotionless brother couldn't be immune to love. No matter how hard her tried.

He literally jumped out of his car and bounded up to his house and to the den in five seconds flat. "How are things?" he asked, swinging open the door without so much as a knock. But he least expected to see the sight that awaited him.

They were sitting around the table. Sesshomaru had a long list in his hands, while Rin had a calculator in one, a pen in the other. They both turned upon Inuyasha's entrance.

"Oh...sorry. I thought you guys would be having...well...fun while we were gone," he said rather bluntly.

She put her pen at rest. "Fun? You call this fun? That brother of yours," she pointed to Sesshomaru, "gave me accounting homework to do for tomorrow." She spoke with a highly exaggerated dramatic voice.

Inuyasha didn't have much time to reply, or take the hint, as his daughter brushed past him. "Auntie Rin!" Meiko exclaimed giving her a bear hug.

Rin coughed as the little girl clung to her waist. "Excuse me sir, I believe other duties call," she spoke tossing Sesshomaru the calculator, "I'm off." She picked up Meiko and left the room, Inuyasha exiting behind them. So Sesshomaru was left alone, which he didn't mind so much. It was better than Inuyasha or Meiko or anyone else pestering him. Thank goodness it was only Inuyasha that came in. He would probably be the only one dense enough to believe that accounting crap.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

You especially had to keep quiet at work. It was amazing how fast rumors can spread. It was like a cold, passing it on from one person to the next and by the end of the week your whole workplace was infected. And imagine something as big as this caught wind. Especially if those people on the first floor knew. That would be chaos. So this is how one day went.

She was working in her 'boss's' office on his computer. He sat next to her, reading the things that needed to be done. That was a normal day.

"Hey Rin, Sesshomaru," greeted Sango, walking into his office. Sango took a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk.

"Hi, so how was your weekend?" Rin asked, stopping her typing and gave her friend her full attention. Why did she mention weekend?

"Pretty good, you?" Sango replied.

"Meh. So-so. Oh! Did you hear any good gossip lately?" she asked changing the subject immediately. Sango loved gossip.

Her eyes lit up, "Oh. My. God. Do. I. Ever," she almost squealed in excitement and went into great detail on the latest lowdown on celebrities, just to piss off her boss. She was good at that.

Only problem was, he didn't seem to mind, which was odd because he usually gave a warning and then told them to shut up. Either he was sick, or he had recently gained a whole lot of patience. So Sango became somewhat suspicious.

And still on that same day, Rin and her new 'boy toy' were alone again, but no one was in the halls this time. She was about to go photocopy papers that were in her hands.

"Don't worry, no one's looking," she reassured him before giving him a short kiss.

Sango walked by again and glanced at her boss's office. She was pretty far away, but she could have sworn that from her angle, it looked like they were lip-locked. Sango closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously. False alarm, they were only talking at close proximity. "Oh God, I'm paranoid," she sighed putting her palm to her forehead.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Kagura drummed her fingers impatiently on the table. She looked over to see what Kanna was up to. Her mirror was clung tightly to her chest, while her pale figure showed a look of indifference. Kanna never showed emotion, not ever. Kagura sighed and her gaze returned to her 'father'. "I don't see what intrigues you about her," she said irritably.

Naraku stopped his pacing and turned to face his 'daughter'. "It's not her I'm after. I just want to see him dead. Physically and mentally. That girl is simply the easiest way to get at him."

It finally made sense. She understood that Naraku's real target wasn't Rin at all...it was Sesshomaru. "It's not her problem. Why drag her into this?" she rose up angrily from her chair. "This is still about grade eight, isn't it? Let it go! I don't even see why..." her outburst was cut short by a sharp new pain in her cheek. It didn't faze her, though. She was used to being slapped.

"I wouldn't be surprised," he seethed, "if that man knew our secret. You know very well that I am hardly older than you are. You are my creation, from the flesh and bones of that girl. Can you imagine what would happen if that caught wind? You'd be sent to some testing facility or something."

Ruby eyes narrowed into practically slits. "That's a load of bull. You're only making such a big deal because the cops are going to find out what happened to that girl and lock you up and throw away the key," she hissed. "There is no way I'm helping you with that plot."

Naraku's face was now plastered with an amused smirk. "You might wish to reconsider," he said eyeing his 'daughter' carefully.

Kagura froze. Her limbs began to feel numb to a point where she could no longer stand, and collapsed on the floor. With all the strength she had left, she lifted her head and growled dangerously. "...Fine...I'll help you with your sick plan."

His smirk grew wider. "That's a good girl. Helping her father in times of need." And with that, he turned away and walked out of the room. Kanna followed immediately.

"Damn you," she growled more to herself than anyone else, "you'll see, Naraku. It will never work. It'll backfire...mark my words!"

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

yes, I know it's short! Ah! I have 0 creativity at this point!!! :( oh well...see ya next chapter I guess


	15. How Everyone Secretly Knew

Okay...no commenty on the stupidness if the first part in this chapter! Okay? Okay! Now that we have that straight.... Hello...this is chapter 15...the second last **real** chapter in this fic! 1 more...then epilogue...ain't that weird? I could have sworn I'd just posted it...ah well. Okay...any more relevant stuff...um...nope... nevermind. I think I'm just losing my mind...mid-terms are near...and the teachers need marks in by Friday and I'm just going crazy! It isn't even out final mark!!! Sheesh! Okay...too much about my darn high school life. Alright...

**Random responses**: maiyuka: that girl...lolz...thatz Rin...sorry. Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Anime-obsessed: heh...u talk to much... and everyone else that thought Sango would be the first to know... ur very smart...well, actually it's sorta Kagome...but not really...ah well, you'll see this chapter!

_Isn't anyone tryin to find me?   
Won't somebody come take me home   
It's a damn cold night   
Trying to figure out this life   
Wont you take me by the hand   
take me somewhere new   
I dont know who you are   
but I... I'm with you_

**Disclaimer: **well u know the drill...itz a fanfic!

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

**Chapter 15**

**How Everyone Secretly Knew**

It had been 5 months since the whole Rin/ Sess thing. All went as normal, and that was probably for the best. Well, had anyone been quite observant and who could put two and two together, it would have been easy to figure that something had to be going on between them. Kagome was one of them. On the other hand, Inuyasha was not...this needed to be explained before it actually dawned on him.

It started like this...the two brothers were in a spar...and swords were involved. The event that led up to it was irrelevant. What mattered was it was to prove who was the strongest. Sibling rivalry to it's best.

"I don't see why you just don't surrender," Inuyasha commented as the blades clashed.

Sesshomaru kept a straight face. "If you think I am trying, brother, you are mistaken." They went back and forward, spitting out challenges at one another without a moment's pause.

"Does this always happen?" Rin whispered to Kagome.

She shrugged, "Sometimes. But you'll see, it'll get worse soon." Rin nodded, and she didn't doubt it. This took sibling-rivalry to a new level.

"Half-breed, the duel ends here."

"I'd...like to see you try," Inuyasha grunted and caught off guard by poison whips that encircled his hands. "What the..." he didn't have time to finish before being thrown back, dropping the sword in the process. He got up quickly and turned to his brother. "You got lucky," he said, wiping the trail of blood from his lip.

"Humph, there is no luck in beating a half-breed."

"Oh, relax. It's just a friendly duel."

Sesshomaru glanced at his younger brother with disgust, "There is nothing friendly between us, Inuyasha."

"What a joke," Kagome muttered as she and Rin approached. They all turned to look at her. "You say that like your obligated to hate him. Is it true? You say that...but your eyes tell me something different."

The expressions on his face rapidly changed. From a shocked regard, to narrowed, and angry eyes. Without a word, he thrust the blade firmly into the ground and walked away.

There was silence for a moment. "What was that about?" asked Inuyasha after a moment.

Kagome sighed, "Nothing. His attitude was just pissing me off." He didn't seem to understand and he and Kagome watch Rin follow after him.

"Sesshomaru?" she called. She'd never seen him so...surprised in his life. He looked almost...scared. Was that normal? She found him a short while later, sitting under a shady tree near the edge of the grounds. "Sesshomaru..." she said kneeling next to him.

His eyes were closed, but she knew he was just thinking. 'How...' he thought. 'How did she draw that conclusion? What weakness did I show? Full-fledged demons aren't supposed to show that kind of weakness. I don't understand.'

"Hey," she spoke. He said nothing but she presumed he was listening. "I don't think it would be right to ask about whatever Kagome was talking about back there. If it would make you feel better..."

He waited a moment before speaking, "Yeah...yeah."

They both walked back in silence. Rin cast a glance at him, and he caught her out of the corner of his eye. He gave her arm a push. She almost fell over. "Hey! That was uncalled for," she put on a pout and punched him back in the arm, and as expected, went unfazed. "Now listen here, you. Hey! You can walk away when I'm talking...hey!..." and she continued to call after him until they'd disappears into the house.

"Look at that," Inuyasha commented once they'd gone inside, "it's like nothing ever happened. She's like the only one who can get through to him."

Kagome sighed, "Obviously. Haven't you known that from the start?"

"Sure, but it makes no sense." His wife rolled her eyes and walked away, "hey, what'd I say?"

"Nevermind, Inuyasha. You don't get it." He ran up and took her hand.

"Well...explain away then."

"To out it bluntly, they're in love." She let him stand there for awhile in a stupor before he actually ran after her again.

"Whoa, whoa, back up. How do you know?"

"I just do...something I can sense. You just don't get it so let's drop it before we get killed by him." Inuyasha didn't argue and shrugged. How she could do these things...it was amazing. Mental note: ask wife about Rin/Sess thing later.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

It was one of those rare occasions when you found that Rin was working outside the boss's office. Yes, that's how much time she spent in it. It was silent amongst the two females, the only sound being the hum of the computers and the occasional shuffled sounds across the keyboards.

The afternoon passed like this. The clock didn't seem to have any intention of moving. It was stuck on that same time. Ten minutes later it would give you a break and flash a different number. Sesshomaru walked out of his office, glancing at nothing as he passed the floor halls to the elevator.

Rin gazed after him until the double metal door had closed. A heavy sigh left her mouth as her attention diverted back to the monitor. Sango stopped her work and glanced from her co-worker to the metal doors and back again.

"Stop sighing, Rin. It makes me sick." Her friend made no comeback at this remark, as if unhearing it. "How long have you been in love with him?"

This time it managed to reach her ears. "I dunno, awhile. Don't ask unnecessary questions, Sango, it's not professional." Now from whom else's mouth had she heard that from? "You know the answer anyway."

She wanted to try something. "Ya, sorry..." there was silence again. "So how long has he loved you?"

Rin froze completely for a second. Her limbs refused to move...all that there was to do was deny! Deny, deny, and deny! "W-what?" she said shakily, her attention directed 100 at the computer screen.

Sango wasn't totally convinced with her response, she tried again. "Okay, let me rephrase that. How long have both of you loved each other?"

The typing hands slowly inched their way off the keyboard. They were now fists resting on her lap. "How long..." she said eyeing Sango for the first time since the conversation, "have you known?"

"Uh, about you and...mmph," Rin hand clamped to her mouth.

"Shh! Don't say it out loud! How did you know? What rumor is going around? Who have you told?" she whispered all in a frenzy of jumbled words.

"So it's true? I just felt like asking, but now that you confirmed it...woah...craziness..." Sango said happily about her new discovery.

Rin bit her lower lip. What happened to denying? Crap, well, one couldn't keep it secret forever. Well, no, she bet Sesshomaru could. "Why do you want to keep it secret anyway?" Sango piped up once again.

How to explain... "Well...I don't know...because..." she was spitting words out as they came.

"Aww..." Sango gave her friend a mock punch in the arm, "no need to be shy about it. You're the only one he wants. Take advantage of that...girl, you have power! Use it! Make him give me a raise!" At least someone was enjoying herself.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"I can't please everyone at once, Kagura," Naraku said watching his daughter out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe tomorrow will be your lucky day," he sneered.

Kagura rolled her eyes as she went back to staring at the ceiling. She then noticed a shuffle from a figure dressed in white. "Don't tell me your going alongside with him, Kanna. You're the one who's free, why don't you go?"

The pale child said nothing but disappeared into the shadows to join a father. "Kanna wouldn't betray me, she's a loyal girl, and therefore she is free. You, on the other hand, Kagura, you have an attitude. Something I will not tolerate."

"Humph," was all that came in reply. There was nothing better to say. His whole plot was about to be unfolded, and it could go two ways. Sesshomaru could come out on top, or Naraku would. Both equally stubborn men, it would be tough. However, unlike Naraku, the other had something to loose. That would be his weakness, and the girl as well.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

alright pplz! Second last normal chapter! Wah...I really liked this story... (or parts of it anyway). meh...I should wait til the VERY last chapter and THEN cry. Oki! C ya in a week or two!

And just cuz I'm in a good mood today...I'll do a chapter preview!

**Chapter 16, An Evil Twist of Disaster**

_Even the most perfect of relationships has its faults. This usually is a result in the lack of trust in one another. If the two can survive, their bond will have strengthened. If not, then maybe they were never meant to be in the first place. Trust...a virtue that is hard to gain, and easily lost._

Bwahaha! The story is at it's end!


	16. An Evil Twist of Disaster

SO: darn! I'm sad…  
AO: aww! Why?  
SO: cuz…cuz…FMA ended!!!! (goes into corner and cries)  
AO: it ended awhile ago! You just didn't watch it until now, and that's not even the point! You're intoducing this chapter aren't you?  
SO: oh ya! Still…I'm sad…  
AO: why now?  
SO: cuz! I liked this story! (sorta…) and itz the last normal chapter!  
AO: it is!? Aww! (cries)  
SO:…uh…u read this already…  
AO: I know! But I'm still sad…I want more chapters but nooooo!

SO: okay…and yup, there's an epilogue, so no worries. But this ends…I dunno….weirdly? whatever. So hello again. Last time I was stressing about mid-terms, which I totally over reacted again and got a 90 average (nerd…shh! No I'm not! Smartness just comes!) okay, before I forget, I'd like to say thanks 2 AO for my 200th review! :D too bad u all cant be my 200th…but I luv all u readers and reviewers anyway (huggles) can u tell I'm in a good mood today? Hehe…but even if I'm in a good mood, that doesn't stop me from being lazy, so I won't do responses this time…even though I should…ah heck! I'll do it next time! Remind me! :P

_oh why is everything so confusing  
maybe I'm just out of my mind  
yeah, yeah, yeah _(again…got rid of lots of those 'yeah's…too long to count all of 'em)

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

**Chapter 16**

**An Evil Twist of Disaster**

Even the most perfect of relationships has its faults. This usually is a result in the lack of trust in one another. If the two can survive, their bond will have strengthened. If not, then maybe they were never meant to be in the first place. Trust…a virtue that is hard to gain, and easily lost.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

The warm rays from the sun drifted through the long panes of glass. The rest of the room was frozen in shadow. Rin opened her eyes slowly to adjust to the light that was in her face. As usual, no one was beside her; she was alone. Sometimes she wondered if that guy ever slept at all. He was awake when she'd fall asleep at night, and be gone in the morning when she was up. He had a reason to be gone this Sunday morning, though. "Working today," she sighed, reaching her arms up.

When she was all ready and about to head downstairs, when a piece of paper on the large oak desk caught her eye. It wasn't there last night…she was sure of it. It wasn't right to pry, but curiosity got the better of her. It was actually an envelope, addressed to her.

I'll be working all day today, but I must discuss a matter with you directly after. Meet me at 7 o'clock at the dam. Be there, I won't have time to speak with you before that.

'That's a…strange place to meet,' she mused but gave it no further thought. 'I'm hungry.'

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Normally, he wouldn't mind working on a Sunday. He had nothing better to do…but this was ridiculous. Being the big boss of a company wasn't always so great. Right now, he'd have rather spent it…well…(it's not my place to tell you). He brushed the hair out of his eyes and opened up the briefcase he'd brought with him.

Among the important documents and files, lay a single sheet of blank paper, folded into a neat square. It was a short message in neat handwriting.

I'll be out shopping all day today, but I really need to speak to you. Meet me at 7 at the dam. It's crucial that I tell you this, and I won't have time to talk before that. See you there.

'A strange place to meet indeed. What has gotten into that head of hers?' he tried to find the logic in that, however there was none. But if he had learned anything about spending time with her, it was this. Whether she makes sense or not, don't argue. He shook his head one final time before concentrating on his task. "The dam, huh?"

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

'I can't believe this idiot has nothing better to do with his life,' Kagura mentally sighed and glared at her father for the umpteenth time that day. 'Sonofa…'

The sound of water was the only noise made. Kanna, who was bustling about, made no noise at all. It was as if she was a ghost. Naraku, on the other hand, wasn't doing anything but staring down over the rail. 'Soon,' he smirked into the depths of the pit, that looked bottomless because of the cloud of mist hovering over it, 'soon.'

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Rin was surprised how quickly it could get dark, as she set foot into the large trail that would end up at the dam. Maybe she was meeting there because no one in their right mind would think of coming. It was probably the only place where no people visited, aside from alleyways or a junkyard. This was much more appealing.

'It's cold tonight…' she gazed into the sky, but no stars were visible. A layer of fog was rolling in. 'Should have brought my jacket…' she sighed, and a shiver ran down her spine. The sound of running water told her she was close.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

'Crazy bitch,' Sesshomaru thought walking along the winding path, 'why in hells did she pick THIS spot. There are so many paths…for sure she's going to get lost.' The fog was becoming thicker by the minute. It was never a good sign. His best bet was to meet up with her soon, and get out before you couldn't see anything. The spray of water would only make it worse.

He attempted to catch her sent. 'No good. The water dilutes it.' With that, he walked deeper into the maze.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

It was official, she was lost. The paths were in some sort of maze, or something…it had to be. This must have had to be easier in the daylight. 'I don't know how much more of this I can take…' She tensed when a sound coming from ahead reached her ears. She was relieved to see the face of Sesshomaru instead. Rin breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God it's you," she said hugging him. He said nothing in reply. "Oh yeah, you said you wished to speak to me about something…"

Again he didn't say anything for a moment. "Yes, I wanted to discuss…" a rustle in the bushes made them both turn.

"W-what was that?" she said, another shiver running down her spine.

"Stay here, don't move and be quiet. I'll check this out," he said in a monotone voice, disappearing into the shrubbery and into the fog. Minutes seemed like hours. She was sure he'd been gone for five minutes now. Possibly more.

'I know he said not to follow but…when have I ever listened to him?' she chuckled before parting in his direction. After a minute, she sighed. She'd only gotten more lost then she was. 'Maybe this wasn't such a great idea…' The fog had become quite heavy at this point, so there was no use turning back.

It was faint, but she could have sworn she heard someone talking. The closer she came; it was two voices that were heard. Sesshomaru was one of them…but the other…the other was…a woman's voice?

She came to a clearing where the fog wasn't quite as dense. Two silhouettes were visible not too far away. The taller one was the man, Sesshomaru, while the other…Rin squinted to figure out if it was someone she knew. The fog rolled out of the way for a minute, that's when she could clearly make out the person, Kagura.

'What the hell?' she tried to piece two and two together. It wasn't making sense. What was she doing here? Rin didn't have much more time to think about what she was doing. The next thing came from nowhere. They were both in each other's embrace, talking quietly so the only thing Rin heard was mumbles. They paused and before she knew it, they were kissing. Right there, in front of her…though they didn't seem to notice her presence.

Her heart pounded wildly, as she put her hand to it. 'He played me, he played me, he played me…' kept repeating inside her head. 'I was a fool, I was a fool, I was a fool.' More phases popped in and out. 'Run away, run away, run away!' and she did. She didn't care where, just away.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

The two waited until the running girl was out of view. Kagura took the edge of her jacket to wipe her mouth. "That was low…" she said through the fabric, "disgusting…" She felt like hurling.

"Come now, Kagura, it wasn't that bad."

'Yeah, saying that was bad is an understatement. This guy has no morals…'

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

She ran blindly through the maze of paths, hoping it was all just a dream. A Goddamn nightmare. The tears blurred her vision, and the exit was no where visible. Closing her eyes once more, she didn't care where she was going. Until she bumped into someone. Her puffy eyes opened to look at Sesshomaru.

"There you are, Smart Cookie. Now what's the idea of you…" she walked past him, not allowing him to continue. He reached out to grab her wrist.

"Let me go, you bastard," she spoke quietly, but furiously.

Those words were foreign to him. What had he done? "What? What did you say?" he asked, just in case he'd heard wrong.

Her back was still turned to him. "I think you heard me properly, but I'll say it again…nice and slow so your pretty ears can catch it. Let. Me. Go. You. Bastard."

He loosened his grip so that her arm slipped away, and so did she, into the dark. What had caused her to be so…angry? Something wasn't right, so he walked in Rin's past direction.

'I can't believe I let him into my life. Let's face it…it stinks. Is it worth living? I'm alone…' Rin contemplated, 'it was a fantasy. A lie…is that what my friends are too? Lies…I'm sure. Ah, I confuse myself…I'm such an idiot! I know that much.'

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O (sighs...getting tired of this...)

He made no sound peering through the trees. He was determined to find out what had ticked her off so badly (again, another understatement). He reached a clearing, where two people were standing. 'Kagura?' his thoughts trailed off when he saw the figure standing next to him. 'What the…' Standing there, was…himself?

"I still don't see what the point of that was," he heard Kagura saying.

"Well, he has to run into the bitch sometime soon," 'Sesshomaru' spoke to her, "I'm sure they both got those notes."

"I see…" the other Sesshomaru stepped into the grassy patch, "that was you." His words were calm.

"Genius, huh? It wasn't signed by your little girlfriend was it? You simply assumed so." He had to admit, the imposter was right.

"What is it that you want with her," Sesshomaru said protectively.

"It's not so much her I want…more of I have business with you," the other replied slyly. His silver hair became tinted dark. His skin turned gray and eyes became red. "It was just amusing to make both of you suffer."

He kept a lid on the raging anger, his expression remain indifferent. "Naraku, what is it you want?"

"Heh, always serious, Sesshomaru. Why not try to live a little?" By the look on Sesshomaru's face, the other demon could tell he was not amused of any sort. "You see down there?" he pointed to the rail, "if you fall down there, there's no possible way someone can survive. Be human, demon…or half. The loser of this game, gets to spend eternity down there." Sesshomaru's gaze darted to the misting area and back.

"What else?" he said calmly.

"Nothing, just fight me. It will be your last, after all. And, no cheap tricks."

"Humph, you should take your own advice."

"At long last, I will see that you're put to your death. You shouldn't have interfered with my family's life."

Kagura stood away from the two men. Sesshomaru wouldn't go down easily, but she was sure Naraku would have some sort of trick ready. He was good at that type of thing.

The tension was thick. None of the two moved. "This is ridiculous," Sesshomaru said taking a step towards his enemy. Two claws on his left hand began to glow. Soon after, two long whips made its way towards Naraku. However, he saw this coming and step out of the way just in time.

"Be quicker," he cooed, in a taunting voice. He was next time, and managed to strike Naraku in the arm, pushing him back. More of the same until Naraku's back was against the rail.

"There is no way I would lose to a slime like you," he commented coolly, posed to attack again. A smirk was set on his opponent's face, and he was determined to wipe it off. "You run ends here," and without a second more of hesitation plunged the poison whips into his neck. Naraku laughed once more and his face disappeared along with his body. A wooden figure lay among the remaining pile of clothing and the shattered. Sesshomaru frowned, "A puppet, huh?"

The next thing happened so fast, it was all in the blink of an eye. Naraku had reappeared and taken Sesshomaru by the neck, suspending him over the rail and 'bottomless' pit of water. "No, you're mistaken, Sesshomaru," his red eyes gleamed, "I'm the one who shall not lose to you." Kagura took a step towards the two. "Don't think of moving, Kagura, or this man will die this instant."

There was nothing he could do now. His eyes drifted down and back, how would he get out of this predicament? "Kagura, do as you please. It matters not what happens to me now," he spoke with an expressionless face. There was no trace of fear.

"Are you saying you'd die now? Then be my guest," Naraku grinned removing his hand from under Sesshomaru's neck. Gravity took its toll after that.

Kagura ran to the rail and peered over, but there was no sight of him. Her hand gripped the metal so hard, her knuckles turned white. "Alas, what a terrible fate," Naraku made a mock sigh.

"You…you are the cause of so many peoples problems! I hate it!"

"Not you too, Kagura. Go home and pretend nothing happened."

"NO! I'm not standing by anymore while more and more people are hurt. I don't care what happens to me anymore."

"Well, I'm afraid I have no other choice," he said, advancing on her, "I'll simply have to do away with you too." With that, enclosed his hand around her neck (he likes doing that, doesn't he?).

She could feel the air being squeezed out of her. She wasn't going to last much longer. Kagura was prepared to close her eyes one final time when two long lines of light wrapped themselves around Naraku's hand.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Are you saying you'd die now? Then be my guest," Naraku grinned removing his hand from under Sesshomaru's neck. Gravity took its toll after that. The solid ground rush further away by the second, as he desperately made his way to the wall.

'No good, stupid thing is smooth. Still…' there was no harm in trying. He stuck his claws against the wall, but sill falling. Just when he was about to give up and accept death, his right hand caught an uneven spot. So now he was also in a situation; he was holding on with one hand. 'Son of a…' he cursed. 'He's going to pay.' Using his free hand, he sent his two poison whips up towards the surface.

He felt them attach itself to something. That was it, and he pulled down, and felt someone fall over the edge. He couldn't see, but the feeling was enough for him. Then he attached them to what he was sure was the rail. So now he was safe, as he used his free hand to pull himself up.

At the top, Kagura took his hand and helped him back over. "Did I get him?" he asked, looking around.

She sighed, "Stop asking questions! Go after your girl." He gave her a 'don't-tell-me-what-to-do' look but began to leave anyway. "Don't take your time, stupid! Hurry!" with that, he disappeared from sight. "Thank you, Sesshomaru," she said to herself. 'But I fear. The girl looked terribly unhappy. Please, I hope she can understand this all. I fear that she should do something she'll regret.'

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

I guess that wasn't the best place to leave off…huh? a random note...did u notice Sess curses alot in this chapter? unlike him i know... but wth! Another random note...I don't know if they have dams in Japan or not...just imagine. And if you've ever been to Niagra Falls, u can tell what I'm talking about, with the mist and fog and all. Andlast thing, I was originally going to have one epilogue…but…I decided against it! I'll end it now, nee?

(waits)

(people start to throw random objects…mostly shoes)

jeez! Pplz! Take a joke! I kidd I kidd! Lol…what I really meant is instead of making one epilogue, I decided to make 2 alternate endings. Just because I was in a depressed mood the other day and it just popped into my head. It was originally just one combo of both…So, until the conclusion, mes amis. (therez french for ya! Ha! Don't mind me… went to see a French play with my class today. I got most of it actually! It was messed…I'm telling you…) now…all thatz left is to take at least 2 seconds from ur fanfic reading time and review! Lotsa luv! :D


	17. Alt End 1: Everyone Likes Happy Endings

SO: w00t! chappie number 17! And guess what? That's right! Alternate ending number 1! I'm in a good mood again! Hehe! And everything would be great if…if my stupid Full Metal Panic episodes would download! urg! Y is it always MY computer that downloads these things slow??? Ahem, anyway, I don't think I've got much else to say, other then enjoy! :)

I know, I promised to do responses, so here I go. All reviewers this time!: **Rin, Sesshomaru's Lover**: woa…16 reviews, thx! I'm a glad u like it! I hope u like the alt ends also! **g27**: heh, I know how u feel, about exams. My finals are in 6 weeks, but all teachers are stressing it already…anyway, ya, the part with Sango just seemed apropriate! **SpaceVixon**: well, here it is! Thx! **Lynn-Minmay**: heh, I like the sneezing superstition. And yup, evil Naraku. And again, the part with Sango just poped into my head, so why not? **Ilovecake2**: yes, u I know cant take a joke, and somehow I think u'll be sastisfied! **Vikki**: yo, arigato for reviewing! Thx! **West FullMoon**: well that's a good thing right? I hope so! **turtlerad17**: I know, but what author isn't? **Retta**: yay! Update! I am I am! **Maiyuka** sequel, eh? I'm considering it… **AnGeL**: yay! Thx! **Stacerue**: thx! Glad u like! **MoonPhoenix**: yo, thx! **anime-obsessed:P**: nah…I didn't forget u! my very crazed friend! Don't worry! I'm in a writing mood now so I'm a workin on it!!!

Woa, that was LONG! Heh, oh well!

It's a damn cold night  
Trying to figure out this life  
Wont you take me by the hand  
take me somewhere new  
I dont know who you are  
but I... I'm with you

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**Alt. Ending 1**

**Everyone Likes Happy Endings…Right?**

Life sucks! No matter how hard you try, no matter how perfect it may seem at first, it'll always come back to bite you in the ass. Sometimes it's better just to end it all. After thought anyway…no one really likes you. How come your parents left you alone…your companion left you alone…your friends ditched you, so now your alone once again. What's the point? People say life is too short, while in reality, it's way too long. Life…it's a gift. A gift that some people don't deserve to have. People like me.

* * *

Rin hadn't returned that night. Everyone had found it a little weird about where she would stay. Kagome had called Sango's place…but she knew as much as they did. Sess wasn't saying anything. Not that it would have helped them locate her in any way. They decided to give her the space she needed for the time being. That didn't help the atmosphere much. Normally it wouldn't have made a difference to the Keiyoukai household, but Rin had seemed as a part of the family. Kagome loved her as a sister, and Inuyasha wouldn't admit it, but so did he. Meiko was looking like a wreck, even though she was so young. "When is Auntie Rin coming back?" she cried. Not to say that Sesshomaru wasn't worried too, but knowing her, she just wanted to be alone.

"So what happened? You two have a fight or something?" Inuyasha constantly pestered his brother. He didn't exactly know if they'd even seen each other today, but it was probably the case. She wouldn't just leave and say she was meeting someone, and not return home. It was so…un-Rin-like.

He'd ignore the annoying half-demon and occasionally responded with a, "Get out of my sight," or, "none of your concern."

Kagome had finally convinced him to give up. It was useless to get any information from him when he got like this. "You're just lucky he didn't rip your head from your neck," she reasoned.

Inuyasha gave a "keh" in response and returned to his room, not wanting to answer the questions of his eldest daughter at the moment. He wasn't the best at that…Kagome could deal with it ten times better then he.

"She needs her space," Kagome told Meiko as she tucked the seven-year-old into bed. "You see, when grownups get angry or upset, they often go out of the house for a day. Then they come back and everything is fine. You'll see…Auntie Rin is fine."

Meiko dried her damp face with the bed sheets. "Oh…okay. It's just, everyone seemed so angry of sad. So I got sad and…I'm sorry. I shouldn't be sad. You're not crying, neither is Daddy or Uncle Sesshy."

Kagome wrapped her daughter in a hug. "Shh…you can cry. It's just that adults don't like to cry. It shows weakness…especially to Daddy and your Uncle. But rest assured…Rin is okay." With that Kagome turned out the lights and walked out of the room, sighing. As much as she'd like to think those words were true, it couldn't be confirmed yet. 'Oh Rin…look what problems you've caused us. Please…be alright.'

* * *

With her collared white blouse, and short length, black, frilled skirt, Sango walked onto her office floor, briefcase slung over her shoulder. The heels of her shoes sounded at each step. She set her case on the desk and ruffled her long chestnut hair before reporting in to the boss, as always. "Morning Rin, Boss," she would say instinctively, considering her longtime friend was always with her longtime crush's office. Then she'd be greeted with a cheerful voice. However, no reply came today. "I said, good morning Rin. Does 'ohayou' work too?" and then she finally took a look at her surroundings. There was only one other person in the room other than she, and that was the boss, who she didn't expect a reply back from anyway.

"Are you blind?" Sesshomaru never took his eyes of the computer screen for a moment, "she isn't here, Sango. Go about your business."

For the first time **ever** that she had worked for 'golden-eyes', face set in a stern look, she bluntly said, "No."

The taping noise on the keyboard stopped and her stare was equally matched with his. "Excuse me?" It wasn't actually a question, more of a, 'Do-as-I-say-or-else' comment.

Sango wasn't going to move on this. If she did, it would probably come back later as a guilt trip, should something bad happen. "I don't know what kind of bond you guys had, or what came between it to cause my friend such pain, but I'm not going to be at ease until I know she's alright and kicking," her tone meant she was serious. Something that didn't occur too often.

After some silence between the two, he spoke, "What do you suggest?"

Frustration got the better of her, "I don't know! I don't know!" she pounded her fist onto his wooden desk with such force, the bottom drawer popped out slightly. "I don't know what she's doing or thinking! I don't totally understand her, but I do know this; she's got a weak heart. Not physically but spiritually. She'd been already pushed to her limits and what if this shoves her over the edge? Smart she may be, but I can't help the fact that she's going to do something stupid!" a small tear escaped her eye and fell onto her throbbing hand. "Shouldn't have done that…" she said quietly to herself, nursing the aching hand,

To his dismay, Sango did have a point. He glanced at the opened drawer. Something…wasn't quite right. Eyebrows furrowing, he searched through the many layers of paper. After reaching the bottom, it made sense what was missing…rather, replaced. "She'll regret this…"he trailed off, closing the drawer, with an object clutched in his fist. Sango gave a 'care-to-explain?' look. "She took my gold dagger."

The brown-eyed woman was in shock for a few moments. "F-first," she stammered at the thought of what her friend would do with that, "why do you keep a knife there? Second, how do you know she took it?"

"First," he said mimicking her questions, "that's of no importance. Second, this didn't wander here on its own." The object sitting in his palm was a gold chain. The pendant was that of a sitting tiger, carved from jade.

"Ah! I knew it! Rin, **why** do something stupid like that?" Sango yelled to no one in particular. "Where would you go?"

Sesshomaru removed one of the windowpanes. "She's the type that would like to die happy, in a peaceful manner."

"You mean like a park, or forest where no one could see her?" He shrugged in response. "Well she wouldn't want to walk about the streets of Tokyo with a knife, so I'd say she'd go to the one close to here…you know, the one with the pond?"

"Worth a shot," he replied, extending a hand to Sango. "I don't want to wait for an elevator."

"Are you insane?" she backed away. "This is the 27th floor! No way!"

"I'm a **demon**, don't forget," he emphasized the 'demon', "besides, I'm sure my ancestors 500 years ago fell from higher heights…and if you want to save her…"

Sango bit her bottom lip. "If I die, Miroku claims all your money," she reluctantly climbed onto his back and shut her eyes.

"Whatever you do," he cautioned, "don't scream." She now could feel that they were no longer supported by firm ground. 'Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream…' passed through her head over and over. Once the feeling of no longer dropping could be distinguished, she summoned up courage to force one eye open. They were jumping from tree to tree, and it happened so fast the people below took no notice. Actually, Sango had to admit it was kind of fun. But this wasn't the time for games. 'Rin, don't do anything stupid. Not until I have anything to say about it!'

* * *

The wind rustled through the trees, shaking some orange colored ones to fall to the earth, and some onto the nearby pond, as they floated on its surface. The sun, still climbing up towards the top, reflected off a golden object, that lay at rest in the grass. Against a tree, way off the main path and hidden from view was a young woman with long black hair. Her eyes remained closed, but she was not sleeping. Well, for over 24 hours she hadn't slept, ate nor drank. Things were becoming hazy now.

She squinted into the sunlight, taking a good look at it one last time. "You're brave," she told it, lost in one of those moments, "how can you come out everyday with such confidence? Don't you regret some moments in those million years you've been alive?" she didn't receive an answer, not expecting one anyway, and continued, "even when those rainy days come and go, you never give up? Jeez, how can you do this for the next billion years or so? I could never…"

The distressed maiden grasped the hilt of the gleaming blade. "Fitting animal, nee?" she mused, "a snake. Just like him, trying to withstand it's bite, but to no luck, for the venom poison gets worse. And as soon as you think you've come over it, it comes back and…"her grip tightened, "you're dead!"

She looked at her reflection on the sharp edge. There were heavy lines under her eyes, her hair was a mess and clothes were wrinkled. "There's no point in living when you're alone…" she pointed the dagger to the sky, and then rested it by her side once again. "Let's face it. Life's a joke. Money will bring you temporary happiness, but it's all fake. Love is there, just for you to be hurt. A heart exists for it to be broken. He…hated me from the beginning. It was all a cover; fate's stupid plans. My friends…I can't tell what they think, but it's not worth coming home through the day when they aren't always available when you need support, or just someone to talk to. No…that's what your family is for…which I…have none, of course. Only this would happen to someone like me…"

Her thoughts drifted to the faint sounds of the nearby city streets. "They're all oblivious. When you read about death, or watch a show about it, that's all fake to them. No, nothing like that can happen in real life so commonly. Such an unfortunate soul…is their thoughts when they open the newspaper and read the headline. It's a scary reality…and the sooner I escape it, the better."

"This…" she said gripping the blade with a shaking hand and placing it's tip on the skin near her ribcage. "This is where it hurts the most…" her eyes were closed, and she wanted to pierce through it so badly! "But, what if I miss…that will only land me in hospital and suffering through the next sunrise again."

This time she placed the sharp edge to her throat. "No…this will hurt. Pain is the last thing I need before I die." And set the knife back down once again. "This sucks, I want to die," she spoke in an all-truthful tone.

She glanced at her wrist…suddenly remembering something she'd read awhile back. About a teenager, who was suicidal, and would do anything to die…even risk to lives of others. That wasn't the part that triggered her memory though…it was how she did it. "Cutting her wrist…" she drew an imaginary line with her fingernail. "One slash won't hurt at all, and you'll feel no pain as the impure blood seeps out."

She ran the blade across her fingertip, to test how sharp it was. When a trickle of red liquid slowly dripped down her finger, it was proof enough. This was it…the time had come. She rested the blade lightly against her forearm. 'I'm not afraid to die…' she thought, but a small tear was freed from her eye. Her grip tightened on the hilt, as she was prepared to slice through her skin.

There was a new sharp pain to the hand holding the knife. It was the pain of another hand, knocking it away. The shock caused her hold to loosen, and it landed no more then six feet from where she lay. It glittered in the light of day. Reluctantly, she turned her head to see who had disrupted her oh, so peaceful death. "You…" her voice was covered with fear and anger.

"What do you think you're doing young lady?" Sesshomaru was not joking around with this. Sango made her way slowly down the hill from the path, to avoid tripping,

"Screw off!" she got up using all her strength and reached out for the knife again…she was going to finish this in one painless slash. Just before she once again reached her wrist, he grasped it in his hand, with a painful hold. He twisted her forearm and positioned the tip of his own knife at his chest. "What are…"

"You won't kill yourself, Smart Cookie, so long as I'm around." Rin tried to worm out of his grip, but he just tightened it. "If you want to die so badly, then you'll do so over my dead body." she was breathing heavily now…no! This was not how it should be! "What are you waiting for, Smart Cookie? I am not afraid to die either. That's the price you pay, and that's the price I shall too."

No, it shouldn't be this way! Innocent people shouldn't get hurt. She was willing to take her life and hers alone. "I…can't…" now many tears poured from her eyes and glistened down her face. "I won't take another life. I'm no murderer!" With that, the blade dropped from her hand and without a hesitation, Sesshomaru used his free hand to throw it into the pond. She'd never use it again.

"I…I don't know what came over me! I wanted to die! I'm so lost!" Rin cried, letting a whole buildup of years emotions flood the other two that stood there. She flung her arms around his neck, and sobbed uncontrollably. "I'm such an idiot," her voice squeaked.

After a good ten minutes, Rin turned to her other friend, who carried a grim look. "Rin…"she whispered, "don't scare me like that again."

"Oh Sango," she hugged her friend, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry!" she cried on her friend's shoulder. The other woman bit her lip, but let a few tears flow as well. She was safe, thank God. I guess He really is merciful.

* * *

Her once long, raven hair, now barely reached her shoulders. Her eyes scanned the first sheet of music quickly, but quite carefully. She rested her slender fingers on the white and black piano keys, and pressed them gently. A familiar melody filled the once silent room. That is, until she hit a wrong note.

"Ah, crap," she cursed, and began from the beginning. It was fine until she hit another sour note. So from the top she played, and even the third time around, made the same mistake. "Stupid piano…" she mumbled banging her head lightly into its many keys.

"Here, let me show you how it's done," a distinguished monotone voice spoke. Two hands appeared over her shoulders, and played the line with ease, and without a glance at the keys.

"Shut up, don't make me feel worse than I already do…" Rin sighed, facing the hansom man behind her.

"Oh, and why is that?" he questioned, taking a seat next to her on the piano bench.

That's when another familiar voice made it's way into the room. "Uncle Sesshy! Auntie Rin!" a now twelve-year-old Meiko bounded into the room and took a seat in between the two. "I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!" she clapped excitedly.

"Wait for what?" Rin replied with a question of her own.

"How can you not remember? You guys's big day!" she beamed happily. Her aunt smiled back. "Come on!" she said dragging the two up from the bench. "We're gonna play Frisbee!"

"No thank you," Sesshomaru stated plainly.

"Oh come on!" Rin said interlocking her arm with his. "Enjoy this for once." The three didn't say anything more as they made their way to the back entrance to the garden. Rin smiled once again to herself. 'I'm so lucky to have so many people who love me. I really do…love my life!'

* * *

**END

* * *

**

That ended kinda…uh…abruptly I'd say. But, it's finished! :D well, so to speak. More alt ends to come, well, actually only one. And I, just wanna say, am NOT suicidal, and all that info is from a manga I read, Confidential Confessions, if anyone's heard of that! Soo…I think that's it! Happy holidays guys!


	18. Alt End 2: Part 1: Everyone Likes Sad En...

SO: um, hahaha. Uh, when was the last time I updated? (thinks) I can't remember! Is that a good thing? (thinks some more) no, I don't think it is…oh well! Here I am again! In another really good mood…for some unknown reason. Man, I didn't even re-read this chapter cuz I wanted to get it up so fast! So really, I don't remember what in the world I was going to write here…other than my computer crashed and I'm SOOOO lucky that they could recover my word documents so the story was safe (phew) cuz I'd hate to re-write it…anyway, enough nonsense rambling and onto the fic!

_Take me by the hand  
take me somewhere new  
I dont know who you are  
but I... I'm with you  
I'm with you_

* * *

**Chapter 18**

**Alt. End 2**

**Part 1**

**Everyone Likes Sad Endings…Right?**

With her collared white blouse, and short length, black, frilled skirt, Sango walked onto her office floor, briefcase slung over her shoulder. The heels of her shoes sounded at each step. She set her case on the desk and ruffled her long chestnut hair before reporting in to the boss, as always. "Morning Rin, Boss," she would say instinctively, considering her longtime friend was always with her longtime crush's office. Then she'd be greeted with a cheerful voice. However, no reply came today. "I said, good morning Rin. Does 'ohayou' work too?" and then she finally took a look at her surroundings. There was only one other person in the room other than she, and that was the boss, who she didn't expect a reply back from anyway.

"Are you blind?" Sesshomaru never took his eyes of the computer screen for a moment, "she isn't here, Sango. Go about your business."

For the first time **ever** that she had worked for 'golden-eyes', face set in a stern look, she bluntly said, "No."

The taping noise on the keyboard stopped and her stare was equally matched with his. "Excuse me?" It wasn't actually a question, more of a, 'Do-as-I-say-or-else' comment.

Sango wasn't going to move on this. If she did, it would probably come back later as a guilt trip, should something bad happen. "I don't know what kind of bond you guys had, or what came between it to cause my friend such pain, but I'm not going to be at ease until I know she's alright and kicking," her tone meant she was serious. Something that didn't occur too often.

After some silence between the two, he spoke, "What do you suggest?"

Frustration got the better of her, "I don't know! I don't know!" she pounded her fist onto his wooden desk with such force, the bottom drawer popped out slightly. "I don't know what she's doing or thinking! I don't totally understand her, but I do know this; she's got a weak heart. Not physically but spiritually. She'd been already pushed to her limits and what if this shoves her over the edge? Smart she may be, but I can't help the fact that she's going to do something stupid!" a small tear escaped her eye and fell onto her throbbing hand. "Shouldn't have done that…" she said quietly to herself, nursing the aching hand.

To his dismay, Sango did have a point. He glanced at the opened drawer. Something…wasn't quite right. Eyebrows furrowing, he searched through the many layers of paper. After reaching the bottom, it made sense what was missing…rather, replaced. "She'll regret this…"he trailed off, closing the drawer, with an object clutched in his fist. Sango gave a 'care-to-explain?' look. "She took my gold dagger."

The brown-eyed woman was in shock for a few moments. "F-first," she stammered at the thought of what her friend would do with that, "why do you keep a knife there? Second, how do you know she took it?"

"First," he said mimicking her questions, "that's of no importance. Second, this didn't wander here on its own." The object sitting in his palm was a gold chain. The pendant was that of a sitting tiger, carved from jade.

"Ah! I knew it! Rin, **why** do something stupid like that?" Sango yelled to no one in particular. "Where would you go?"

Sesshomaru removed one of the windowpanes. "She's the type that would like to die happy, in a peaceful manner."

"You mean like a park, or forest where no one could see her?" He shrugged in response. "Well she wouldn't want to walk about the streets of Tokyo with a knife, so I'd say she'd go to the one close to here…you know, the one with the pond?"

"Worth a shot," he replied, extending a hand to Sango. "I don't want to wait for an elevator."

"Are you insane?" she backed away. "This is the 27th floor! No way!"

"I'm a **demon**, don't forget," he emphasized the 'demon', "besides, I'm sure my ancestors 500 years ago fell from higher heights…and if you want to save her…"

Sango bit her bottom lip. "If I die, Miroku claims all your money," she reluctantly climbed onto his back and shut her eyes.

"Whatever you do," he cautioned, "don't scream." She now could feel that they were no longer supported by firm ground. 'Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream…' passed through her head over and over. Once the feeling of no longer dropping could be distinguished, she summoned up courage to force one eye open. They were jumping from tree to tree, and it happened so fast the people below took no notice. Actually, Sango had to admit it was kind of fun. But this wasn't the time for games. 'Rin, don't do anything stupid. Not until I have anything to say about it!'

* * *

The wind rustled through the trees, shaking some orange colored ones to fall to the earth, and some onto the nearby pond, as they floated on its surface. The sun, still climbing up towards the top, reflected off a golden object, that lay at rest in the grass. Against a tree, way off the main path and hidden from view was a young woman with long black hair. Her eyes remained closed, but she was not sleeping. Well, for over 24 hours she hadn't slept, ate nor drank. Things were becoming hazy now.

She squinted into the sunlight, taking a good look at it one last time. "You're brave," she told it, lost in one of those moments, "how can you come out everyday with such confidence? Don't you regret some moments in those million years you've been alive?" she didn't receive an answer, not expecting one anyway, and continued, "even when those rainy days come and go, you never give up? Jeez, how can you do this for the next billion years or so? I could never…"

The distressed maiden grasped the hilt of the gleaming blade. "Fitting animal, nee?" she mused, "a snake. Just like him, trying to withstand it's bite, but to no luck, for the venom poison gets worse. And as soon as you think you've come over it, it comes back and…"her grip tightened, "you're dead!"

She looked at her reflection on the sharp edge. There were heavy lines under her eyes, her hair was a mess and clothes were wrinkled. "There's no point in living when you're alone…" she pointed the dagger to the sky, and then rested it by her side once again. "Let's face it. Life's a joke. Money will bring you temporary happiness, but it's all fake. Love is there, just for you to be hurt. A heart exists for it to be broken. He…hated me from the beginning. It was all a cover; fate's stupid plans. My friends…I can't tell what they think, but it's not worth coming home through the day when they aren't always available when you need support, or just someone to talk to. No…that's what your family is for…which I…have none, of course. Only this would happen to someone like me…"

Her thoughts drifted to the faint sounds of the nearby city streets. "They're all oblivious. When you read about death, or watch a show about it, that's all fake to them. No, nothing like that can happen in real life so commonly. Such an unfortunate soul…is their thoughts when they open the newspaper and read the headline. It's a scary reality…and the sooner I escape it, the better."

"And what better way to do it…" she contemplated, taking the nail of her index finger and tracing an imaginary line across her left wrist. "I read it in a manga once. It's the most painless way to die, other than poison. It's where the veins lay close to the skin. But, that's not the secret. The key is what lies underneath them, the arteries. Cut it deep enough, you'll die in minutes, as well as rid the impure substance from yourself. First you'll fall unconscious, then you'll never wake up again. That's how this world will rid of me."

"To test the sharpness…" she ran the blade along her fingertip. Thick, red liquid trickled down slowly. "Perfect."

A sent lingered in the air as the two found the park. Sango hopped off her boss's back and looked around. Not a single thing seemed out of place at all. "I smell blood," he said, trying to sniff it out, "I recognize this blood."

"W-what? Oh please tell me you're joking!" Sango covered her mouth.

"It's very faint…but still…" and made his way quickly towards the faint sent.

"I…I'm calling an ambulance!" she said out of instinct and pulled out her cell.

Rin held the blade steady, and gazed into the sun for one last time. It would be the last thing she saw. The right before her, a figure appeared. It was someone…she hadn't seen in a very long time. It was a lady, her dark hair resting on her shoulders. She smiled warmly to the confused mortal that lay before her. "Mother?" her question lingered before the woman nodded and kissed her forehead. "I…understand," she told her, as the figure disappeared as soon as it came. "Don't be afraid of death." She exhaled deeply.

The next moment seemed to take an eternity. The sharp object moved, what seemed, slowly across her flesh, and it wasn't long before a vast amount of blood flowed freely down her arm, and spilled onto the ground where she sat. the blade dropped from her hand at the rapid loss of strength. She could feel her heart beat faster and faster, trying to pump the rest of the blood in the place of what was lost.

Her head began to spin, but not enough so she couldn't feel a pressure on her cut wrist. Her eyes met with golden ones. She realized who the last thing she'd see was. "I'm sorry…you had to see that. If you don't mind, I'll be leaving now…"

"Stop messing around here, woman! Don't say such stuff!" he commanded. The blood started to seep through the cracks in between his fingers, and started to spill over his own clothes. Sango made her way down the hill where they were. Her hands were still over her mouth, disgusted at the sight before her, the bloody mess. Her stomach twisted and turned. No…this wasn't a movie…it was the real stuff.

"It's too late for that," she breathed heavily. "I was such an idiot. Please tell everyone I'll be fine." She smiled. 'Well, I am kind of happy. I got to see your face, one last time.' "I guess I'll see you later."

"Shut up!" he told her again, "you don't understand. If you go now there won't be a later. You're a stubborn human, I know that much. So **be** stubborn and don't give in!" He took his free hand and brushed her now pale cheeks. The color was also beginning to fade from her lips, now also near skin color.

"Nah," she mustered a small chuckle as her vision began to blur, "my time is now. I'll see you again…don't you worry." And closed her eyes. The silence remained still, no one dared talk. "Oh," she reopened her eyes slightly, "there is one thing I forgot to say. I wanted to for a long time but now should be right. I…always…I always will…lo-…lo—" and her eyes closed again, never finishing her final sentence.

Sirens wailed closer as some paramedics came rushing down and took the still bleeding woman onto a stretcher. They quickly covered her mouth with an oxygen mask and bandaged up her wrist, in attempt to save her.

"She's still alive…" Sango said through her forming tears.

"Her heart beats, but she is not alive," he replied monotone, "her soul is gone. Don't ask how I know it, but it's one of those things…" he threw the stained dagger into the pond, never wanting to see it again. With that, he walked off, leaving a tearing Sango alone. It couldn't be…no…

* * *

The front door to the Keiyoukai mansion opened and slammed shut, with such force the crystal vase fell off the small table near the entrance. It contacted the marble with a small crash, scattering the tiny shards up to ten feet away.

"Hey, Sesshomaru. Be a little gentler with that will you? It's expensive you know," Kagome came into the entrance hall carrying a tray with a teapot and two cups. He stared at her with a blank look. Her gaze wandered to his crimson-stained attire, which also held true for his right arm. Without knowing, the tray slipped from her hands and clattered to the floor. She followed, still not quite believing what she saw. She hands made their way to her mouth, as she still stared with horrified eyes. And she let out a loud scream…

Inutaishou came running quickly at the loud clatter of the tray and his daughter-in-law's yell. "Kagome, what's the matter?" She didn't reply, only pointed at Sesshomaru. "Son…? What is this?"

"Take a good smell, you'll figure it out," he stalked up to his quarters.

"Dad?" Kagome questioned as his eyes fell to the floor. He sighed before replying.

"She was a good kid…" he walked away after saying that.

"You mean…her? That doesn't mean…it can't be that…no…" water droplets collected in her eyes and when they became heavy enough, fell on the shattered china. "What will…I tell the others?"

"You mean…Auntie Rin isn't coming back?" Meiko tried to understand both her parents, how both had pained looks. They were trying to put this lightly on their daughter. "No! I don't believe you! She'll come back! I know she will!" the little girl ran away towards her room and slammed the door. Both Kagome and Inuyasha sighed; this wasn't going to be easy, especially once a funeral came around.

* * *

Within two days, her body was moved from the hospital, into a wooden casket. It seemed so…surreal. Her gray colored face still had on a faint smile. At least she…liked her last moment.

It was a fairly small chapel, where quite a few people showed to pay their respects. The first row of seats were empty, as they were marked with the word 'family'. Kagome and Sango were both being comforted by their husbands. The whole place was in a gloomy and saddened air. The kids were left at home, still unaware of much that was happening.

There, standing in the corner away from his family and the crowd, stood a tall demon. His face showed indifference, but in all truths, he was no better then the rest. He would spend the years to come alone, once again. He'd opened his heart three times, and twice to many. Once you're broken, you should stay that way for life. Avoid the pain and confusion of it all forever. Well this time, he'd make no mistake. Sesshomaru, would never learn to love again.

* * *

T.B.C.

* * *

Aren't I just evil? I luv that feeling! Anyway, as you can see, I decided to drag this chapter into 2 parts. Yes, just to make it longer. Whatever, I ain't in the mood to argue, (it'll spoil the goodness of it!). so yeah, hopefully I'll get the last (this one is the VERY last, I promise) chapter up sooner than this one came! 


	19. Alt End 2: Part 2: Angel on my Shoulder

SO: yes, I promise that this is the LAST chapter! Took me long enough, neh?

_Take me by the hand  
take me somewhere new  
I dont know who you are  
but I... I'm with you  
I'm with you  
I'm with you..._

**Chapter 19**

**Alt. End 2**

**Part 2**

**Angel on my Shoulder**

It's an odd thing, life that is. They say it's short, yet if that's true, why does it last an eternity? I guess once it becomes too long, there are people who escape it. That method has pros and cons. Firstly, it's all great to just finally be free, I assume. I can not say, for it's never actually occurred to me until now. Though, I probably have had something along those lines happen to me. I guess it does to everyone.

For as long as I can remember, I don't think I've truly ever smiled. Well I must have, at one point, but not to my memory. Ever wonder why that happened? Well, I'm not too sure myself. It just did.

The concept can be broken down into individual problems. I wouldn't say problems…as they are more like occurrences. For one, the word, trust. It can be defined as "hard gained, easily lost". In all truths, there probably isn't a single soul who hasn't experienced this, though the cases may vary.

In my case, it was the case of Mother's love, and the girl's trust. Other than Mother and Father (though, I was too proud to admit it) there wasn't anyone I really loved. And at that age I'm sure everyone thought the same too. The girl, on the other hand, I gave her a shot. In other words, I trusted her. I'm not too sure what the cause was, or if it really happened, but I lost her trust that day. It all seems like a part out of a movie or something. Just a painful memory that always lingered at the back of my mind.

All that I truly learned, from that day, was that I was weak. True, it's not something I would say out loud, but to myself even I had difficulty to come to that conclusion. It was the weakness of my heart, that made me who I am. You could call it an emotional overload, or more like a breakdown.

After that, it all seems like such a blur. Up until recently, that is. That's when she came. I don't really know what happened, nor do I wish to think about it. It was something surreal. For so long, I had shunned the world and suddenly, I saw it in a new light…in a way. I never actually thought I could, in a matter of speaking, enjoy myself. I never remembered what that felt like. It was as if the moon was in my reach, or something, and in the blink of an eye, it couldn't have been more far away.

Now this is all metaphoric crap, but you get the idea. As I said before, running from the world has its pros. But mostly, it's got cons. And not just to the person that flees, but to the ones that were close. For the first little while, all anyone around the house could do was mope and sulk. Not that it normally wouldn't bother me, but in this case, I was one of them. Maybe I didn't show it as much as the others did, but inside, I knew for myself. I knew after that, another trust was lost, and I guess love was too, though I'd rather not put it like that.

But it's weird, now, a whole month without the black-haired grownup child around anymore. It's something I have to get used to though. I never actually noticed how much she'd become a part of the family. But since when did I care about family anymore?

I've learned over some time, that someone never really departs this world. They're probably just reborn somewhere else, and have no memory of the past, or spirits just wander, invisible to everyone else. In that case, everyone is immortal, in a way. My guess is that you will become a spirit. It seems odd for another person to have a personality as you once had. Here we go with more metaphoric junk.

Just like people used to do back then, they'd turn to the elements of nature, and see the departed souls. They'd look into the starts, and see a smile. Not that I look at the stars, but I guess one could see that. And then listen to the wind, and one can hear a voice. That I know is true. I've heard it myself on occasions now. Sometimes I think I've just lost all sense when that happens. The wind blows through the many city trees, and I can hear you laugh…or mock sometimes.

Now, I don't believe in coincidences too often. So I assume it was around a day or two after she'd departed, when I could feel a strange presence looming about the entire household that day. I didn't think much of it at the time, but the next morning, the feeling was gone. As well, a single black rose lay perfectly still, on the windowsill of my room. Wondering who could have moved it there, I checked the top of my furniture. Sure enough, the other was still there. So I wondered how her rose ended up with me, once again.

* * *

Since I was very little, death was always something I couldn't stand. Everyone seemed to die around the world, and around me as well. But as I learned later on, it comes with the cycle of life, and sometimes we can chose when it will end, and other times it's totally random.

So now when I was faced with the decision to end the cycle, it tore me in half. The side that wanted to pass on, and the other that longed to be apart of the world of man for even just a day longer. I guess that tear in my soul, caused why I'm as I am now. It's not so bad actually, though I really don't have time to reflect upon my old life anymore.

Seeing his face, one last time, made me equally happy and sad. Happy, that I could probably remember his face for the eternity I'm now destined to live. Sad, that he witnessed my terrible sin, the sin of death. Either way, even though I was physically gone, my spirit still longed to live.

That's how I became a half-angel.

A half-angel has no wings, and still walks alongside mankind. Though its not known, they have a glowing touch, and that's really the only difference…oh yes, and they have no heartbeat. Now, it might seem like a great thing to be immortal, but really my life isn't all peachy anymore. See, now my job, is a death-angel.

Yes, it sounds weird, and the process is odd too. When you're kissed by a death-angel, your soul leaves your body. But there are things that can go wrong in the process. This, I won't explain though. It's not important. The fact is, I'm sent to different parts of the world, out to rid the world of some people's lives.

But before this task was bestowed upon me, I still had a day or so to leave my home. I took this time to visit the people I could call family. No one really seemed to notice. Though the time I spent wandering around, all they did was seem to be sad. Not that they heard me in any way, but I think it was Meiko, whom I told to smile for me. She turned around, and looked sort of lost, but never the less, she smiled.

There was really only one person left to visit. That was him. So for my final day I tagged alongside him. He seemed to think that something was following him. I'd expect nothing less from a great demon, as well as a great spirit. I'm not going to go into much detail about how my last moments with him were, but I really don't know what I was thinking that night.

There was a black rose in my hair that night; the one Meiko had given to me. I was thinking he'd have it back, also I couldn't stand to be reminded of my past life, and the grief I put everyone through. So I laid it to rest on the windowsill, and stood by his side all night.

When daybreak came, my time was up. This would for sure be our last meeting. I walked over and was able to stroke his silky hair, one last time. My hand glowed, and I held back tears, as to the fact that he couldn't feel it, nor could I. And not wanting to cause my already tainted soul more pain, I kissed his forehead, and walked back over to the window. He stirred in your sleep, and I knew I had to go.

Until your time comes, don't come after me, don't look for me. I'd love to see you again and I long for it too, but it's for the best. As a ray of sun shone where I stood, I could see myself fading away into the air. It was time to begin my life from square one. And after all that…I never even got to say that I…

**End**

* * *

SO: aren't I just GREAT with endings? (AO throws shoe) hey! What was that for?  
AO: for ending it badly!  
SO: sure…I like this ending! It's very…open!  
AO: whatever, just hurry with the sequel will you?  
SO: when I feel like it. I'm in that Naruto crazed faze right now, therefore I'm changing my name to **Hinata-hime**. Kay? Kay! anyway, thanks sooooo much to everyone who stayed with me and this fic till the end. (throws candy) hope it eventually met your expectations! 


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